All The Right Moves
by nictaylor97
Summary: Bella is a dancer at Lucky Devil Lounge in Portland, paying her way through college to become a doctor. One night, a man comes in asking for her, and leaving her with the biggest tip she's seen in her two years there. They live in their bubble in the club, but what happens when their bubble is burst one day when Bella's clumsiness gets the best of her?
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE:**

 **BELLA POV**

 _September 2015_

Heavy bass vibrated the ground I stood on, even though most of the noise of the music was drowned out by the closed door. I sat in the chair of my vanity, decorated with pictures of the other girls and myself on my twentieth birthday, which was less than a week ago. Funny how I worked in a place where liquor and naked women flowed freely, but I wasn't even allowed to drink. I was allowed to take my clothes off and dance on stage, but I couldn't consume the alcohol we served to patrons. Fuck you, legal drinking age.

Noticing my sweating palms, I wiped them against the thigh high stockings I was wearing. It was the only material available to me, considering my tits and ass were covered in shimmery material. Not exactly the best place to wipe off my sweaty hands.

Despite working in this club for nearly two years now, I still get a little nervous before a set on stage. I know what I'm going to do, and I know I'm going to do it well, because I never do anything half-assed, but there's always those familiar butterflies a few minutes before I take the stage. It's a good nervous, though. It gets my adrenaline pumping, which makes me a little excited and giddy to go out and dance. Typically our customers can see that and end up tipping me more, which means I can keep paying off my loans.

 _This is all in the name of not being in debt._

"Bambi, you about ready?"

I look up into the mirror, noticing the bombshell blond standing behind me with her hands on the back of my chair. Her tan skin is glistening with glitter that's fallen off of her bra during her dancing, causing her to look like some sort of mermaid, with her wavy hair falling down below her breasts. Her already statuesque figure was exaggerated by the six inch Pleasers she donned, making her well over six feet tall. Her blue eyes smiled at my brown ones in the mirror.

It was hard not to be jealous of her when she was nearly naked, looking like a goddess, her lean body exposed for everyone to see. I had known her for three years now, though, and I knew that she was much more than just her body. She was easily one of the most intelligent people I knew. She was on her way to law school, for Christ's sake. The fact that she was fuck-hot was just an added benefit. Especially when it came to working here; she made easy money and was never late on rent.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Rose, you can call me Bella even when we're at work," I told her. I hated hearing my stage name from anyone other than the customers or the other girls when we were around the customers.

She shrugged and smirked at me. "I know, I just like to see you all worked up."

"Fine, I guess that's the game we're playing tonight, _Barbie._ "

Her smirk fell and she glared at me. Rose hated her stage name just as much as I hated mine. Both of our names were courtesy of her boyfriend, Emmett. When Rose was entertaining the idea of becoming a sex worker when she was younger, she had looked to Emmett, her then-boyfriend, for a suitable stage name. Barbie obviously arose from her naturally striking resemblance to the Mattel doll. Mine, on the other hand was what he called me when we first met. He said my big round brown eyes reminded him of the deer, even though I reminded him on more than one occasion that Bambi was a male deer. He had stopped calling me by that name only a couple months after meeting each other, but Rose thought it was fitting when I started working at the club with her.

Em doesn't know I work here, though. I didn't really want anyone but Alice and Rose to know. I'm not ashamed of how I make my money, actually, quite the opposite. Dancing half naked around drunk customers who throw their money at you is definitely empowering, and an easy way of making money. But I'd just rather keep my job under wraps, especially once it came time to apply to medical school, and then eventually to positions in hospitals. Working around kids didn't exactly bode well if people knew I spent at least two years shaking my naked ass (not really, considering our club is topless only) on stage to provocative songs for money. I loved my job, but prospective employers might not. So it was just easier to keep it between Rosalie, Alice, and me.

She groaned. "You win." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, pushing her large boobs even further into her face. "The DJ is ready whenever you are."

Rose turned to walk out of the door, heading back into the club to go hustle some customers. She looked back at me over her shoulder as her hand twisted the door knob. She winked at me, a smile tugging on her lips "Go kill 'em, tiger."


	2. The One With the Club

**CHAPTER ONE:**

 **BELLA POV**

As I took my place on the darkened stage, I could hear the conversation and laughter of the customers as they socialized with the other girls and each other under the bass of the song that was beginning to play. As the song started to pick up, the overhead lights brightened, making my form visible on the stage. This was one of my favorites, and it didn't get overplayed here, so it wasn't easy to get sick of hearing. The Arctic Monkeys were usually a good choice, especially when the night was just starting and things had yet to pick up. The customers tended to enjoy the sensual dances earlier in the night as opposed to the more eccentric ones that were normal once the night wore on and more people were in the club.

I had been so bad when I first started dancing. I had minimal upper body strength, so I stuck to a lot of lap dances until I was able to get more practice in with Rose, who was a favorite amongst patrons and a pro on the pole. It took about a month for my strength and flexibility to build up enough to actually start dancing on stage. I felt like a seasoned dancer now, though, especially compared to some of the newer girls. Rose was definitely the best of all of us, considering she was here the longest, but I'd like to think I was just behind her. After all, she had only been here a year longer than I have.

The song continued and I kept on dancing, and I could see the money fluttering in the air and settling on the stage. Seeing the bills scattered on the floor made me smile. I loved knowing that people like what I do, like the way I move. There were a few regulars here that liked me so much they asked for private dances after my set on stage was over. There were rooms in the back of the club that had poles in them for the girls to give private shows to customers that wanted them. Sometimes it was only one guy, but a lot more often it was a group of guys, usually for a guys' night out or a bachelor party. We even get bachelorette parties quite often, which is always fun. Women always smell a lot nicer and act a lot friendlier than men.

As the song came to a close, another one started up, seamlessly blending into the first. Hats off to tonight's DJ. I was used to the DJ here on the weekdays, who was a bit subpar. Not awful, but definitely not this guy, who obviously knew how to work the music.

I danced for another two songs, enjoying the rush it gave me as people watched me and flung their hard earned money onto the stage. When I was able to stay in one place for more than a split second, I spotted Rose in a booth across the way, sitting next to one of her regulars and smiling up at me. She sent me a wink and I winked back, telling her that I saw her and appreciated her silent encouragement.

Once I was done, I thanked the men immediately around the stage as I picked up ones and the occasional fives that littered the ground around my feet. As I stepped off the stage, a few of the men called me over and put more money into the band of my blue shimmery boy shorts. It was the weekend, and I knew I was going to be here well into the wee hours of the morning, so I chose to wear something comfortable yet sexy. Most customers had no complaints about my ass hanging out of the bottom of the stretchy material, especially when my rack was on great display in my matching shimmery bra that barely covered my nipples. I knew the top was bound to come off sometime later in the night, so it really didn't matter that it did the bare minimum of covering the goods.

I sauntered over and plopped down next to Rose, kissing her on the cheek as she slung her arm across my shoulders. People who regularly came here quickly figured out that Rose and I were kind of a package deal. Where one of us went, the other usually wasn't far behind, and our regulars loved it. They probably thought we were lesbians, but, hey, more power to us. A lot of men have a thing for lesbians, which meant we were booked together for private dances more often than not.

Leaning across Rose, I greeted the man next to her with a pleasant smile.

"Hey, Marcus, how are you doing tonight?"

Marcus was a regular to both Rose and me. He started coming in about a year ago and instantly took a liking to Rose. When he realized how close the two of us were, he happily asked for dances from both of us. Now he comes in every weekend when we're both working. He stopped getting private dances a while ago, but he still tipped us like he did. I realized pretty quickly that Marcus really just enjoyed our company more than anything else. He was an older man, in his mid-fifties, and he was a widower with grown kids who didn't visit often. Rose and I were more than happy to sit and talk to him for a while when he came in, especially the way he paid us. It wasn't about the money, though. Marcus was genuinely good people, and he made it a great night if it was especially shitty beforehand.

"I'm great, Bambi. How are you?" I smiled and nodded to tell him I was good, and he continued. "Barbie was just telling me you turned twenty not too long ago."

I nodded. "I did, just on Sunday. I'm finally not a teenager, anymore." I huffed. "Still can't get a drink around here, though."

Marcus laughed with Rose. "You're time will come, Bambi," Rose said, throwing me a smile. I rolled my eyes at her. She loved to abuse the use of my stage name. I'd get her back somehow.

One of the other dancers, Tanya, or Sierra, as our customers knew her, walked up to us, smiling kindly at Marcus. She sat down beside me in the booth and whispered in my ear.

"There's a man asking for a private dance from you," she told me. Her long blond hair brushed against my chest, catching the eye of a man sitting in a table across from us. He licked his lips as his eyes zeroed in on the movement of her body touching mine. I internally rolled my eyes, silently laughing at this guy making innocent touches into something sexual. I mean, I realized I worked in a strip club, but not everything had to be sexualized. We were just two colleagues talking out some business deals.

"Have you set him up in a room yet?" I asked her, pulling my attention away from Creeper in the corner.

"Yeah, room three," she affirmed. "He's pretty hot, too. And he looks pretty loaded in the fancy suit he's wearing." Tanya backed her face away from me and winked.

I chuckled and shook my head at her. Tanya had always been big into checking our customers out. Typically our demographic was older men who weren't exactly in their prime anymore. Marcus was definitely one of the better looking guys, with his salt and pepper hair and his lean physique. He kept himself in shape, mostly because of his job in construction. But the kindness in his eyes was what made him attractive compared to the other guys. He was a gentle soul with nothing but love to give with no one to really give it to.

Tanya liked it when younger guys came in, especially when they were attractive. She liked to pay special attention to them and get a feel for how they'd act. A lot of times, younger guys were tightwads with their cash and didn't tip very well, so she'd let us know to steer clear of them. But, every once in awhile, she'd find one or a few that we were willing to tip just as much as their older counterparts, and she'd make it known to all the girls. When she found the good ones, it made for a pretty hefty payout for all of us. Tanya was probably the best hustler out of all the girls.

She stood from the booth and offered me her hand to help me up. I kindly took it and stood from my position next to Rose, bidding her and Marcus farewell. I followed as Tanya led me to the back of the club and stopped in front of room three. The door was closed and I could hear low music seeping through the crack near the floor. The customers chose the songs we danced to when we gave private dances, and they paid according to how many songs they wanted. The club charged a cover that was the same for each girl, but we kept the money at the end of each session. At the end of the night, we paid the club and the DJ their percentage and took the rest of the cash home with us.

"Good luck," she said, waving as she walked back down the hallway to the main part of the the club. A few of the other rooms back here were occupied and I could hear music coming from each one, but I couldn't really identify which songs they were. Sometimes, our customers had interesting tastes in music, so you danced to some really crazy shit sometimes. Luckily, I recognized the song that was playing in the room I was about to enter, so I hoped this was an indication of how this session was going to go.

I knocked three times on the door and a smooth male voice quickly told me to come in. I quickly entered, turning to close the door behind me before looking at the man sitting in the room. I was thinking about what Tanya said about him being attractive and possibly tipping heavily. Clothing was never a sure indication of how a customer was going to tip, but it was usually helpful in determining how much time they were worth.

Turning, I looked at the man in the room for the first time. His uniquely colored hair was the first thing I noticed. Even in the dim light of the room, I could tell it was a strange coppery color, and the strands were sticking up in an unruly fashion, looking like he had a habit of dragging his hands through it. His eyes were closed as he leaned his head back on the back cushion of the chair. His skin was lightly tanned, an amazing feat in Portland, Oregon, where we saw clouds more days than not. He was dressed in an white button down shirt, the red tie loose around his neck and the first button undone. His charcoal grey suit jacket was slung over the back of the chair he sat in, and it matched the slacks he was wearing. His dress shoes shined even in the low lighting, one foot propped up on the knee of his opposite leg. He held a glass of dark amber colored alcohol in his right hand, the glass propped against the side table next to him.

The man only opened his eyes to look at me once I started walking toward him, swaying my hips with each step. Tanya was right, this guy was really hot, with his pouty pink lips and sex hair. As I got closer, I could tell his eyes were a jade green color, so much more beautiful than my plain brown ones. He sat up slightly as I walked over to him, silently asking his permission to sit in his lap. Customers had a choice of lap dances or pole dancing, or both, when we were with them. We just did whatever the customer wanted. They weren't allowed to touch us during anything, but I always asked permission to touch them before I did anything. I didn't want to accidentally cross any invisible boundary.

He nodded and motioned for me to come closer, silently demanding me to dance for him. I straddled him, one foot on each side of the chair. I placed my hands on his shoulders, moving my body over his as a weirdly appropriate song began to play. "Dance for You" by Beyonce began to play through the speakers. I didn't hear the song a lot in the club, which was surprising because it seemed to be an obvious choice for a dance. In this setting, one on one with a customer, it seemed strangely intimate, especially given how sensually I moved my body on his. I was used to songs you'd hear out in the club, songs that were popular on the radio, which was a bit annoying after hearing them several times a night for three or four nights a week.

As I continued dancing for this stranger, I silently thanked him for putting so much effort into his appearance and cleanliness. His hair, though unruly, was well taken care of and soft when I ran my hands through it briefly. He smelled faintly of a familiar cologne, but the scent of something strangely rugged and innately _clean_ was more prominent. I silently thanked him for not smelling like B.O. or alcohol. His face looked like it had been shaven earlier in the day, but now there was a light dusting of reddish-brown hair along his jaw, the same unique color of his hair.

His eyes roamed from my face and down to my body semi-frequently as I danced, seeming to appreciate something more than just the way I was moving, which was refreshing. Guys were usually just interested in the feeling on my hips on their lap, so that's the area their gaze focused in on. This man seemed to be appreciating all of my efforts, even the small smile that I put on whenever he'd look up at me.

As the song ended and the beginning chords of another unfamiliar one started up, he motioned for me to go to the pole. This song was just as, if not more, sensual than the last. I started a languid dance on the pole, waiting for lyrics to come through so I could actually tell what song was playing. As Beyonce's voice came through the speakers again, I realized it was her new version of "Crazy in Love", the one she did for that BDSM movie that came out a while ago. I blushed as I remembered the scenes of the movie that Rose and Alice had forced me to watch with them. I may be a sex worker, but I wasn't exactly experienced in anything other than dancing. Watching those scenes had made my face so hot, and I'm sure my faced looked like a tomato the whole time.

I tried to squelch those memories, so the blush would fade. I focused just on the sound of the music, doing my best to appropriately dance to it. Whenever I caught a glimpse of the guy, I could see he was now leaned forward, his elbows propped on his knees, watching me intently as he sipped at his drink. He seemed relaxed in the chair, slightly smirking at me when he caught me looking at him. He knew that I was checking him out, admiring the way his shoulders strained against his shirt. I had gotten a good feel of his chest and back while I was giving him a lap dance, and he was definitely well toned under his fancy dress shirt, which was Ralph Lauren. I knew one of those shirts cost upwards of fifty dollars. I didn't even want to see the name of the brand on his suit.

For the next half hour or so, I danced more for him. As the sixth song ended, he stood from his chair, abandoning his drink on the small table. He reached into his jacket pocket and I could see the logo embroidered into the tag on the inside of it. I nearly choked when I realized it was Hugo Boss. Those suits were nearly always over a thousand dollars. Who the hell was this guy?

He pulled a stack of cash out of his wallet, handing me six bills. I was expecting fifties, since six dances was two-fifty and then a fifty dollar tip. I sputtered a little bit when I actually looked at the money. He had just handed me six one hundred dollar bills.

 _What the actual fuck?_

I looked back at him, my eyes wide. He chuckled at me as he buttoned up the undone button on his shirt, tightened his tie, and slung his jacket back on. The sound of his laugh was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, and it made my stomach fill with butterflies.

He shrugged at me. "I like the way you dance…" he trailed off, looking at me to finish.

I realized he was asking for my name. I nearly gave him my real name, but I saved myself at the last second. "Be—Bambi," I said, tucking the money he'd given me into my bra. "My name is Bambi. Thanks for the tip." I chuckled and he laughed along with me. For looking so pensive during the dances, he was pretty laid back right now. Probably because of the alcohol in his system.

"Edward," he introduced himself, putting his hand out for me to shake. I took it, a strange look probably etched into my face. I wasn't used to shaking the customers' hands when they introduced themselves. We usually exchanged pleasantries while I was grinding my ass into their laps.

He must have noticed the look on my face, because he smiled at me reassuringly. "Just because I paid you to dance for me, doesn't mean I don't respect you. I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed your company, even though we didn't speak much." He winked at me.

Usually I'd be grossed out by a customer winking at me, but I could tell Edward was good-natured and just trying to joke around. I didn't feel like he was trying to get more than what he paid me for, which was usually the case with most other younger guys.

"Well, maybe that can change," I told him, shrugging one shoulder. I liked dancing for this guys, considering how respectful he was of the rules and of my body. Plus, if he kept tipping like that, I was going to make him my regular before any of the other girls could figure out how much cash this guy carried on him.

"I might be in next weekend," he told me, walking to open the door. He held it open and motioned for me to walk through ahead of him. I raised my eyebrows.

 _Loaded and a gentleman. Who would've thought?_

"I look forward to it," I told him, laying my hand on his arm as I walked past him.

 _Damn, that suit is softer than the sheets on my bed at home._

"So do I, Bambi."


	3. The One With Jessica Stanley

Ok, so I honestly wasn't expecting so much action on this story so quickly. Other sites that I've posted stories on before take forever to get reviews and favorites on, so this was definitely strange haha. Thank you to all of you who reviewed and favorited and followed this story. It is much appreciated. I'm really excited for this story, but it is a work in progress, so chapters won't always be consistent. I'll try to stick to about three chapters a week from here on out, but don't hold me to that. I'm in school and working currently, and I'm trying my hand at time management. We'll see how that goes.

This hasn't been edited, besides my skimming every few paragraphs, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. I try my best to get it right the first time around.

 **Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I do not.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2:**

 **BELLA POV**

 _October 2015_

"Bella, you're going to be late to class if you don't get your ass up right now!"

My eyes sprung open, and I groaned as I light flooded into my vision. I swatted my hand at Alice, who was sitting on the edge of my bed, her hand laid on my shoulder. She snickered at me as I glared at her. I hated being woken up, especially by Alice's always peppy voice. She was much too excited to be waking me up.

My gaze shifted from the smiling face of Alice to the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was forty-five minutes before the start of my first class of the day. Mondays entailed my harder classes: physiology and physics. Tuesday and Thursday I was able to relax a little with my writing class and a research methods class. I had a lab for physiology today after class, as well.

"Come on, sleepy head, you can't be late," Alice admonished. She was very adamant about punctuality, so my indifference to when I showed up to most of my classes was irritating to her. At this point, it was a daily argument between us that I think we both looked forward to having.

"Fine, fine," I acquiesced, "I'm getting up."

Alice smiled at me as I threw the comfy blankets off of my body. "Good, I have coffee going for you and Rose brought home donuts this morning." She stood off my bed and flitted to the open door of my bedroom, closing it behind her as she left.

Rose worked at the club last night until four, and there is a donut shop on the way back from there that is opened twenty-four hours. We stopped in whenever we had shifts that ended in the early morning to bring back to everyone in the apartment.

Rosalie, Alice and I began living together a couple months after Rose and I met, and the spring semester was over. Alice and I were roommates together at the college our freshman year, and we were fast friends, even though we couldn't be any more different from each other. I met Rose in one of my GE courses that year, and we sat next to each other in class. We got along really well, and we ended up spending a lot of time together outside of class. The three of us liked one another so much, we decided to get a place together off-campus when the school year was over. We moved in together after the summer, when we had all gotten back from visiting our families for break. We've lived together ever since, and Alice and I just entered our junior year, while Rose was now a senior.

I heard the rain thudding against the roof of our building, since we were at the top on the fourth story. I sighed, opening a drawer of my dresser and grabbing out a pair of my well-worn jeans. I slipped those on before throwing on a sweater with PSU's logo on it. I wasn't big into fashion, which annoyed Alice and Rosalie to no end. They didn't understand how I could be so eye-catching and sexy at work, but couldn't carry that into my everyday wardrobe. I'd explained to them many times that I had no real interest in dressing up everyday when I was just going to sit in a classroom for seven hours of it.

I traveled into the hallway that separated our three rooms and into the bathroom that Alice and I shared. Looking in the mirror, I noticed the bags under my eyes from the lack of sleep I'd been getting lately. We were a month into the fall semester, and I was already sleep deprived. I hadn't worked last night, but I still had only gotten about four hours of sleep. Because I was a biology major, and I was in my junior year, I was working continuously on my research project. Besides twenty-four hours a week I sat in class, I also spent about fifteen or twenty hours a week in the lab, as well as another countless number of hours working on homework and studying for all my classes.

Last night, I had been up until nearly 3 am working on a draft of a paper that was due today in my physiology class and studying for a quiz in my physics class. The paper was a collaboration between me and another girl in my class, and she hadn't gotten me her portion of the draft until 10 pm last night. That would have been fine if it wasn't riddled with the most elementary mistakes that I had to spend a good hour and a half finding and fixing so it didn't sound like a second grader wrote it. It always amazed me that people could make it this far in life without having some form of writing skills, especially in a major that required quite a bit of writing.

Searching through my makeup bag, I found some concealer to pop underneath my eyes and mascara to coat my lashes real quick. I never put much effort into my makeup when going to class, due to the fact that I had to spend so much time on it when getting ready for work. No look was complete without dramatic eye makeup and a sculpted face. It was also a way for me to put on a mask that prevented customers from possibly recognizing me in public. Rose had always told me that I looked so much different with makeup on at the club as opposed to my natural face.

I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled it up into a ponytail, knowing it would get frizzy with the rain anyway. I had no patience to deal with the length and curl in it today. I just wanted to go to class, go to the library to get some work done, and then come home to pizza and beer before crashing in my bed, hopefully earlier than I did this morning.

Walking into the kitchen, I could immediately smell the coffee that Alice had prepared me. I saw a travel mug sitting on the kitchen counter with my school bag propped up next to it. I walked over and took a sip out of it, sighing in appreciation of the way Alice prepared it for me. She learned very quickly the way that I took my coffee when we started living together.

I spotted the box of donuts sitting on the kitchen table and plucked a chocolate old-fashioned from it, quickly breaking it into pieces and tossing them into my mouth. I moaned at the taste closing my eyes to enjoy the flavor.

"Is Bells shooting a porno in there?" Emmett's booming voice came from the living room.

My eyes snapped open and glared at the back of his head. Like he could feel me, he turned around from his place on the couch and laughed at me. His dimples were prominent in his cheeks, his grin stretching wide across his face. He looked much too bright-eyed for seven-thirty in the morning on a Monday. His light brown hair was in a bit of a disarray from sleeping on it, but otherwise he appeared well-rested. His brown eyes sparkled with mirth as he winked at me.

Emmett had moved in here about six months after we did. Rose and him had been dating for about two years at that point, so they decided it was appropriate to move in together. It really made no difference to Alice and me, considering Em basically already lived here anyway. He rarely went back to his own place during the week, and he sometimes even stayed and hung out with Alice and I when Rose was at work. Nothing really changed once he had officially moved in, except for our rent going down a couple hundred bucks, since it was now being split between four people instead of three, and I wasn't complaining about that.

"It's too early for jokes, Em," I told him, angrily shoving another piece of donut in my mouth. "See me after I get home from class."

He held his hands up in surrender, chuckling as he turned back around, facing the TV that was playing some stupid home renovation show on it. Emmett has a weird obsession with all these home improvement shows. Whenever he's home, you can be sure that HGTV is the channel that the TV is playing. I don't mind too much, since he's usually at work when I get home from class, and I'm typically working or getting studying done during the weekends.

Em works as a mechanic at a local auto shop, which is where he met Rosalie when she was seventeen. Emmett was nineteen at the time and had been working there as a way to pay for college, even though his parents are pretty well off, from what I've heard. Whenever I asked about it, he grumbled something about wanting to do this on his own and ended the conversation there, which was very unlike him. Em was a pretty open guy, and he had no problem telling things how they were and laying all his cards out on the table. His family situation seemed like a pretty sore subject, and he never really talked about them, except for visiting them every once in awhile.

When I had asked Rose about her boyfriend's parents, she told me that they just didn't really approve of the career path that he had chosen to go. Even though Em worked at the auto shop, he attended and graduated from PSU with an engineering degree. He was currently interning at an aircraft engineering place just outside of town that he was guaranteed a position at once his year internship was up, which was in just a couple weeks. It was a well-paying job, from what he had said about it, and it seemed like something any parent would be proud of.

Apparently, Emmett's parents weren't exactly fond of his degree choice. Rose mentioned that his mother was a doctor, which was a common career path in her family, since her brother-in-law, and both of her parents are all doctors, and his father was on the board of trustees of the hospital his mother worked at. So it seemed being in the medical field was a family business, so to speak, and Emmett had chosen a completely different path for himself. God forbid his family ever discovered what Rose was doing to put herself through PSU and, eventually, law school. I could imagine his mother having a heart attack.

"Hey, did you guys maybe want to go out for drinks this weekend?" Alice asked, appearing from around the corner as she emerged from her bedroom, looking primped and ready for class.

Alice was a business major with a minor in fashion, as she wanted to create and sell her own clothing line one day. She was beautiful as well as extremely smart. Her dark brown, almost black hair, was cut close in a cute pixie cut, and she always wore headbands or bows to accessorize. She was very petite, coming in at about five-foot-one and weighing a max of one hundred pounds soaking wet. She had very delicate, fairy-like features, and her cerulean blue eyes contrasted greatly from her black hair and lightly tanned skin. Alice is from Southern California, so she gets nice and tan when she goes there to visit for holidays and breaks.

I shook my head, my heart breaking at the sight of her pout. "Sorry, Ali, I have to work Thursday, Friday, Saturday night again," I told her.

The past four weekends I had shifts on the same three days, which was both amazing and awful. I made a lot of money those days, given that it was the weekend, and a lot more customers came in those days. It was awful because I was down to really only seeing my friends, beside Rose, on the weekdays, when I was typically busy doing school work.

I had also not seen my very well-paying customer, Edward, since that one night that he came in. Last weekend, I hadn't seen him in the club as I was walking around offering lap dances. At first, I thought maybe someone else had snatched him up, which made my heart hurt a bit for the money I was losing. But, when I asked Tanya if she had seen him, she shook her head and told me she would've let me know if he came in. I didn't hear anything from her Friday or Saturday night, so I cut my losses and went home a little dejected.

He had told me that he would come in, and, honestly, I was pretty interested in getting to talk to him. He looked pretty young, probably in his early to mid twenties, but he was obviously rolling in cash, so I was curious as to what he did as a living. He was in a very expensive, very well-tailored suit that night, so maybe he was in some sort of business, which would be impressive for someone his age. Or at least the age I was assuming that he was.

"Damn, they're keeping you busy at that restaurant, huh?" Emmett piped up, not bothering to look back at me over the edge of the couch.

Emmett thought I worked in a fancy restaurant across the Willamette, which wasn't an absolute lie. I did work on the other side of the river that ran through Portland, but it wasn't in a fancy restaurant. The lie held well enough, considering Emmett had no need to travel to that part of town, since his internship and his job were both on this side of the bridge.

"Yeah, it's beginning of the semester, you know?" I shrugged. "There's a big influx of students this time of year." That wasn't a total lie, either. I did see a lot of college age people coming in more and more, some of them even donning a PSU sweatshirt. Luckily, I didn't recognize any of them from my biology program when I got close enough to see them. Plus, the newer girls were usually the ones to swoop in on the frat boys first, seeing as they were young and typically attractive. I learned very quickly, though, that if you wanted to come out in the black at the end of the night, you go for the guys that already had a career, not the ones that were still getting educations.

"Damn, I hope it starts to mellow out a little bit, B," he said, a sympathetic tone in his voice.

I shrugged. "It's cool, the more people there are, the more money I make." Alice giggled and shook her head at me, knowing exactly what I meant. I winked at her before checking the time on my phone.

"Ready to get going, Al?" I asked her. She nodded and grabbed her bag off the table. I grabbed my bag and coffee as I slipped my shoes onto my feet. Alice grabbed her keys and opened the front door for me.

"Tell Rose we said bye and to have a good day," I called to Em. Rose had afternoon classes during the week, and she would leave before Alice and I got home.

"Will do, sweet cheeks," he cracked, throwing me a thumbs up over the back of the couch.

I rolled my eyes at his nicknames before slipping out the door, Alice right behind me, chuckling.

* * *

"Fuck Jessica Stanley," I huffed, slamming my bag down onto the table top. Alice stared up at me, her wide eyes staring back at me with concern. We were in the dining hall after classes, grabbing lunch before heading back to the apartment.

"What happened this time?" she asked, already accepting my outburst. Jessica was a popular subject of discussion this past month.

"That bitch didn't email me her part of the rough draft until 10 pm last night, which I then had to edit the shit out of because her dumb ass doesn't know how to use spell check, apparently," I rolled my eyes, plopping down into the seat across from my friend. "I spent over an hour and a half on that shit. An hour and a half that I could have been sleeping, Ali!" I looked at her adamantly.

Alice placed her hand softly over my clenched fist, urging me to go on and offering me support. She knew how much I loathed this bitch. This wasn't the first time I had complained to her about Jessica.

"And then when we get into class today, you know what she did?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Alice waved me on with her hand. "This chick had the fucking audacity to tell me that our rough draft sounded childish and not well thought out. Like it was my fucking fault that I had to string together her incomplete sentences and half-assed paragraphs!"

I knew I was yelling at this point, and I got a few weird stares from people seated near us and passing by.

"What? Do you wanna say something?" I demanded, looking those that were staring at me in the eye, daring them to speak up. No one did, and they all turned back to their plates and conversations. "Mind your own damn business."

"Sheesh, Bella, a little angry today?" Alice joked, a smirk playing on her painted lips. Alice enjoyed experimenting with makeup, and usually, like today, it went well.

"I'm sorry," I said, rubbing my eyes that were stinging. "I'm so fucking tired. I've been getting no sleep lately. Plus, that dumb fuck didn't make my mood any better."

"I know, hon," she told me, rubbing my arm sympathetically. "Do you wanna go home and take a nap before you have to study. I can make you some tea to help you sleep." She smiled at me.

I gave her a small smile back. "Thanks, Al, that sounds great.

* * *

The school week quickly came and went, taking with it some stress. By the end of the day on Wednesday, we had a breakthrough with the research project that I was working on, allowing us to progress with our work, instead of running the same tests over and over again, scanning everything to search for something that we possibly missed. I stayed late in the lab that day, excitedly documenting our results, glad for a break in the monotony the last few weeks had brought.

Thursday was slow at the club, a result of the cooling weather that was occurring here in Portland. I left my shift early, knowing there was no point in sticking around. Even the DJ was itching to leave, with just a couple customers coming in the entire four hours that I walked around. I made fifty bucks that night, which was nothing compared to what I had been making.

Luckily, things picked up Friday night, the club becoming full once 10 pm rolled around. The bar was full in no time, customers chatter and the music coming through the speakers filling the room. Rose was here with me tonight, and I cheered her on as she danced her set up on stage. I sat with Marcus and we watched, waiting for her to finish.

Rose joined us in the booth, slipping in on the other side of Marcus as he handed her a ten dollar bill that she happily shoved in her bra. She slung her arm around him and hugged him into her side.

"Did you want a refill on your drink, Marcus?" I asked him, noticing his empty glass. He had just had some bourbon on the rocks, reminding me of the drink Edward had while I was dancing for him two weeks ago.

"If you wouldn't mind, dear," he told me, nodding. I smiled as I stood and grabbed his empty glass. He handed me a twenty, telling me to split what was left over between the bartender and myself as a tip. I hated taking Marcus's money for something stupid like taking his empty up to the bar, but he always insisted that I take it. I tried to explain many times that I did it as a friend, not as a worker, but he still refused to let it go.

"Can I get another one of these, James?" I asked the guy behind the bar. James had worked here as long as I had, his pony tail, just getting longer in length as time passed. He was a good enough guy, even though he had a tendency for asking me out, despite being seven years older than me and not knowing my real name.

"Sure, Bambi." He took the empty glass and the twenty I handed him, quickly making a new drink. When he handed me the new drink and the change, I counted out half and left it on the bar, shoving the rest of it into the strap of my bra.

I had gone a little more provocative tonight, hoping to finally have another private dance with Edward. I could only describe the outfit I was wearing as lacy lingerie. It was definitely a black teddy a picked up at Victoria's Secret a few months back that I never really wore because it was so pretty and I didn't want to ruin it. It had garter straps attached to it to hold onto my black sheer stockings. It looked really good against my pale skin, and Rose had helped me with a smokey eye to go with it. I didn't say it often, but I kept saying it to myself tonight when I passed in front of a mirror.

 _I look damn hot._

I turned and walked toward the booth Rose and Marcus were still at. I looked up briefly to look around the room, and that's when I saw _him._ He had just entered the door of the club, smiling at one of the girls, Bree, AKA Lola, who greeted him.

He looked just as attractive and put together as last time, but with a wool coat added, due to the cold. His suit was black today, his shirt a crisp white even in the dim light of the club, and his tie was navy blue. He shrugged off his coat, hanging it over his arm as he walked further into the room. He turned around as another girl who I couldn't recognize got his attention. For the first time, I noticed the way his slacks hugged his ass.

 _And what a nice ass it is, too._

I shook my head at that thought, surprised that I was actually checking out a customer. That hadn't happened to me, ever.

He ran his hand through his hair, affirming my suspicion as to why it was always in a state of disarray. He seemed to be speaking to the girl, and she nodded, smiled, and proceeded to glance around the club. When her eyes caught mine, her smile brightened and she nodded toward the man in front of her. I realized the girl was Irene, or Blondie, one of the newest girls at the club. She was a year older than Rose, but she had just moved here from a small town outside of Portland looking for work.

She said something to the customer and gestured toward me. He turned and when he saw me, he smirked, the move curling his lips on one side and making him look cocky as hell.

 _Not that I mind. He looks really fucking hot._

 _Jesus Christ, Bella, stop it!_

I smiled at him, gesturing for him to come over.

I can't believe it. He was actually here. He was keeping his promise.

He strode over to me, looking hot even when he walked. I could imagine the way his ass looked as he sauntered over.

 _Oh my God, stop thinking like that!_

I really had to pull myself together. Yeah, he was really attractive, but he was a client. I client who was older than me and had no interest in anything besides what he paid for.

 _Yeah, but what if he's interested in more? I mean, look at the way he's looking at you…._

He was looking at me like I was something to eat, his green eyes dark as he stalked closer.

 _I'm a sex worker, of course he's looking at me like that._

But no customer had ever looked at me like that before. Usually there was lust, and typically a gross lick of the lips. But it had never been like this. Never this...sensual and... _primal._

He finally reached me, stopping as we were only about a foot apart. I could feel the confidence coming off of him in waves. There was something different about him from last time. He seemed so reserved and stoic the last time he was here. Now he was loose and almost arrogant. I wonder what had changed?

"Bambi, so nice to see you again," he finally said, his voice sounding smooth and delectable.

 _Delectable? Really, Bella? Who says that?_

"Edward."

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know things are a little slow, but I promise things will pick up and get exciting. I just really needed to get background of the characters in there. We will see more into everyone's lives as we go on.

Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see out of this story, suggestions for future chapters, stuff like that. All reviews and critiques are welcome.

See you all next time!


	4. The One With Hot Doctors

Sorry for the bit of a long wait. I got busy during the week, and didn't get a chance to sit down and write. But, the weekend allowed me some down time to write more about Bella and mysterious Edward. I'm really digging my own story, which seems a little cocky to say, but I'm so excited to write all my thoughts down, and I hope it comes across the way I intend it. Hope you all enjoy! Now on to the chapter.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE:**

 **BELLA POV**

"Who the fuck is that?" Rose questioned the second Edward walked away to get a drink at the bar. She sounded absolutely mesmerised as she watched him walk away, eyeing his ass the entire time. I was right, his ass does look great in those pants while he's walking.

"Edward, that guy who asked for a private dance a couple weeks ago," I told her, not peeling my eyes away from him. He leaned against the counter, getting James' attention. When he stood next to me, I realized for the first time how tall he actually was. Even with these six inch death traps, he was still a good two or three inches taller than me. I was only five-foot-four without heels, so he had to be well over six feet tall.

"The one that gave you six hundred dollars?" she nearly screamed in surprise. I had told her all about my giant tip as soon as Edward had left the club that night. Her jaw about hit the floor when I recounted my night to her.

I simply nodded and she gave out a low whistle. I heard Marcus chuckle beside her. "Jesus, he's a fine specimen of a man. Too bad he's a customer. Otherwise I'd advise you to take him home and let him have his wicked way with you."

Marcus sputtered on his drink, laughing boisterously as I turned to glare at Rose. She handed him a napkin and giggled along with him.

"That's awful advice," I told her, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't even know him, besides the fact that he's very obvio usly loaded. He could be a serial killer for all we know."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I just suggested that you sleep with him, Bambi. I didn't tell you to marry the guy."

"If I slept with him, I'd be a prostitute. Not my area of sex work expertise," I deadpanned. The fact that I'd never had sex before was another reason that sleeping with him would not be a good idea. My lack of experience was not something I wanted to make apparent to someone as good-looking as Edward.

 _He might be able to teach you a few things, though._

"I didn't say you needed to get paid for it," she wiggled her eyebrows at me. Her focus locked onto something behind me and a smirk grew on her face. "And by the way he's looking at you, he might actually be into you."

I glanced behind me to see Edward still at the bar, his eyes attached to my body, scanning it slowly from my legs up. When his eyes locked onto mine, one corner of his mouth curled up into a sexy smirk, causing my stomach to flip with butterflies. I drew my bottom lip into my mouth, working it lightly with my teeth, a nervous habit I've had since I was very young. I gave him a small smile before turning back to Rose.

"I'm dressed in underwear, of course he's looking at me like that," I scoffed. "I'm a stripper, for Christ's sake!" I whisper-shouted.

Rose shook her head. "No, honey, that look is something different. It's not the seedy look we usually get from guys-no offense Marcus," she said, throwing him an apologetic look.

He raised his hands as if to say 'none taken'.

"Anyway, that's the way my man looks at me when he wants to get down and dirty. It's predatory and sexy and totally cocky in the best way possible." Rose crossed her arms over her chest, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me, challenging me to protest.

Marcus nodded beside her. "She's right, dear. I've been watching guys here every weekend. That one is something different."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are ganging up on me now?" I was only slightly joking, because I was a little hurt that Marcus was taking Rose's side on this. Marcus was more practical, which meant we were on the same team when it came to arguments with my best friend. Not tonight, apparently.

"Absolutely," they answered in tandem, throwing me identical grins.

I huffed. "Well, it doesn't matter. Edward is a customer and any type of connection we may or may not have is totally frowned upon," I reminded them. "He may be the sexiest piece of man I've ever laid eyes on, even compared to Zac Efron, but-" I was cut off my Rose's eyes widening and a clearing throat behind me.

"I come in before Zac Efron, huh?" Edward asked, a smirk evident in his voice. I cringed visibly as Rose stifled a laugh and Marcus failed to hide a silent chuckle.

A blush covered my cheeks down to my chest as I turned to face the guy I was previously talking about. I looked up to his face and saw that devilish smirk gracing his lips as he rose his glass to meet them. He took a sip and I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed with the action.

 _How does someone make drinking look sexy?_

"I, uh-you weren't supposed to hear that," I muttered, wringing my hands together behind my back. The sex kitten I was supposed to be at work completely vanished and the real Bella took her place. My usual babbling, tripping-over-her-words self was making an unwelcome appearance in the one place where I was supposed to be a different version of myself. The club was supposed to be the one place I was able to be sexy and sultry with no inhibitions, and Edward was breaking the facade I had so carefully constructed.

"It's alright, I'm glad I did," he replied, winking at me. He stepped closer to me, allowing me to smell that clean smell that was unique to him. I nearly swooned as he bent forward to place his mouth near my ear, pushing my hair over my shoulder, exposing the pale flesh. "Care to dance for me, Bambi?"

I shivered as his breath breezed past my naked skin, nodding. "Of course, Edward." I tried to compose myself again, putting my 'Bambi' mask back on. I latched my hand onto his free one and tugged gently. "Follow me." I flashed him what I hoped was a sexy smirk and turned away from him.

I waved at Rose and Marcus, and Rose shot me a wink and wiggled her fingers at me as a goodbye.

I led Edward back to the private rooms, sashaying my hips with each step, trying to regain my assurance and confidence.

 _I am a sex worker who holds men's attention. I am a sexual being who is in control of herself at the club. I am in control._

 _Oh, who am I kidding? I'd probably let Edward have anything if he just asked._

 _Stop it, Bella. You don't even know this guy._

I knew the more practical part of my inner voices was right. Edward and I didn't know anything about each other, besides what was obvious based on our situation. To him, I was nothing more than a sex worker he found attractive. And to me, he was nothing more than an attractive customer who paid me very well at the end of the night. He was my part of the rent, my part of the groceries, my extra school expenses.

Or, at least that's what I told myself.

We walked to the room that we used the last time he was at the club. I opened the door and stepped aside to let him enter, but he stood aside and motioned for me to walk ahead of him. I raised my eyebrows and slowly strode past him.

 _Hot as hell and a gentleman? I could get used to this._

 _Although, he probably just did it to be able to look at my ass._

I rolled my eyes while my back was still turned to him, done with my own stupidity. I heard the door close and his footsteps approach closer. I could feel him standing behind me, causing my body to go rigid. I felt like he was going to run his hands over my body, but I knew how well he abided to the club rules, so I ruled that out.

When he didn't speak, I cleared my throat and broke the silence. "So, what will it be tonight, Edward?" I asked. I turned around and took his hand back in mine, leading him to the chair in the room. I put my hands on his chest, sneaking a feel of his pectoral muscles under his dress shirt.

 _Jesus, this man definitely worked out._

I straddled his lap, taking his drink from his hand and placing it on the table beside us. The music in the room was the same that the DJ was playing out in the main part of the club. I grinded my hips down to the beat of the Rihanna song. I nearly rolled my eyes at the amount of times I heard this song in here. Just because the song was about strippers and clubs, doesn't mean we need to constantly be playing it.

"I was thinking more along the lines of talking, today," he said, his hands moving to grip my waist, but he quickly diverted their path and hung them by his sides.

I raised my eyebrows at his request. "Talking, huh? About what, exactly?" I wondered. I'd never had a customer tell me they just wanted to talk, except for Marcus.

"Yes, just getting to know each other," he affirmed, giving a slight nod of his head. "I figure, if I'm going to be spending so much money on you, we may as well know at least a little bit about each other."

His request wasn't actually that bad. Over time, I did learn a lot about my regulars, and vice versa, but it was usually over a period of several weeks, not an interview over the course of a private dance. But, I wasn't going to object if he was still going to pay me for friendly conversation.

"Alright, I'm going to keep dancing, though," I told him. "That's how I make my living, after all."

He nodded, smirking at me. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else."

"Any song requests?" I asked. He had specific songs that he picked out last time, so I wanted to ask before we got into anything this time around.

"No, whatever the club is playing is fine," he resolved. "Now, Bambi, what made you choose to start dancing?"

I got this question a lot from inquisitive customers, especially women, who usually came in with their significant others, so I had an answer ready.

"Honestly, I needed the money, and this place pays a lot better than a shitty waitressing job. Plus, it was easy to get in. I was best friends with one of the girls, Barbie, before I even knew she worked here," I shrugged, not missing a beat with my hips. "She introduced me to the owner, I auditioned, and the rest is history."

"I'm sure this is a lot more appealing than most other jobs," he chuckled, his eyes roaming from my face to my hips, where my body touched his.

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I set my own hours, I'm not on an hourly wage, and sometimes I come home with enough to pay for rent in one night. I can't really complain."

The song changed, and so did the beat, so I changed my pace, becoming more sensual than sexual. The Weekend's songs were always good to dance like this. His voice and the pace of the music was perfect for slow, sultry dances. I appreciated whenever the DJ chose his songs.

"Do you have plans for something besides this?" he asks.

I actually rolled my eyes this time. "Obviously, I'm not going to be a dancer for my entire life. This is my way of paying my way through school to actually do what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm in my junior year of college right now."

"Do you mind if I ask what you want to do, exactly?" he asked. I appreciated that he didn't directly ask me, and instead asked my permission for this information.

"I do, actually," I told him. "Nothing against you, I just like to keep my personal life and my work life very separate. Wouldn't want 'exotic dancer' on my resume if someone connects the dots, ya know?"

"I understand, just curious." He flashed me a genuine smile this time, displaying all of his very white, very straight teeth. I was momentarily jealous of how beautiful his smile was before I swooned just a little bit. The way I obsessed over people's teeth, you'd swear I wanted to become a dentist.

"Like I said, it's nothing personal," I shrugged. "What about you, what do you do? If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm a doctor, actually," he said. "Well, a resident, technically."

My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. There was so many problematic things with him being a doctor. I didn't even know where to begin. All I know, is that it's a really good thing I didn't tell him what I was striving toward for my future.

"A doctor?" I asked. "How old are you, exactly?" I had to know, he didn't seem old enough to be graduated from medical school, let alone a resident in a hospital.

"I'm twenty-four," he answered, and seeing the confused look on my face, continued, "I skipped a few grades when I was younger."

 _Hey! He's only four years older than me!_

"So you're some sort of genius?" I teased, tugging on his tie, loosening it slightly in the process.

"Something like that," he mumbled, a strange look passing over his face.

 _Is he...is Edward...embarrassed?_

I shrugged, trying to assuage is apparent embarrassment. "It's better than being old once you finally start your career."

I knew the fear of being older when I actually would become a contributing member of society. I'd graduate from my undergraduate program next year, but I would go to another four years of medical school, and then two years as a resident, another year or so as a fellow and then finally an attending. Getting into surgery was a long and difficult journey that I try hard to not often regret choosing. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be in the medical field, and I knew very early on the price I would pay for such an aspiration.

"I suppose," he acquiesced. "There are definitely pros and cons to being the age that I am in the field that I am."

"I can imagine," I sympathized.

 _Although, with looks like his, how hard could it be to get people to bend to your will?_

"Are you from around here, Bambi?" he asked, clearly changing the subject.

I shook my head. "No, I'm from Washington, the Olympic Peninsula."

"Really?" he asked, his eyebrows raising. "I grew up in Seattle."

I chuckled. "I wish I grew up there. I was born and raised in tiny, little Forks. The only time I ever got out was when I came to college."

His eyebrows pulled together. "You're from Forks?"

Hesitantly, I nodded at him, praying he wasn't finding some connection to me. What are the odds that this one man that is in my workplace, where I keep my real identity hidden, knows about the little podunk town that I grew up in. The odds were astronomically small, and, for some reason, I felt like odds were about to be defied.

"Yeah, why?"

"My parents grew up and met in Forks," he explained, shrugging his shoulders. He obviously wasn't aware of the way my body had tensed at his revelation.

 _Yep, totally just defied the odds. What the fuck, Edward?_

"Really? Would I know them?" I asked, trying to act casual and add a little languidity back into my body. I really didn't want to hear the answer to my question on the chance that he would answer in the affirmative.

He chuckled darkly. "I'm sure you would, since you grew up in the same town. The whole medical world knows my dad." When I raised my eyebrows in question, he continued. "My parents are Esme and Carlisle Cullen. My mom's only known through my dad, but my father is the lead researcher for the cure for Alzheimer's disease."

* * *

The next morning, I recounted my conversation with Edward the night before. As soon as he said his parents names, I knew exactly who he was talking about. I know the research for a cure for Alzheimer's was big, so I had heard of his name many times in the many biology classes I had taken over the last two years. I had never made the connection that Dr. Carlisle Cullen was a lowly emergency room doctor when I was a child.

All through my life, I could be described as anything but graceful. I actually had the coordination of a fresh baby giraffe, with its long, lanky legs, and knobby knees. I have medical records of trips to the ER since the time I could walk. I was the clumsiest child anyone had ever met. It was a real wonder as to how I maintained my coordination at work, and I hadn't killed myself yet. I was bound to end up in the nearest hospital from an injury at the club at some point, but hopefully not soon, considering I had no idea what hospital Edward worked at and I didn't ever want to run into him.

Of my many trips to the ER, a great majority of them had been attended to by none other than Dr. Carlisle Cullen, who I distinctly remember my mother fawning and drooling over any time he'd be my physician. Carlisle was (and still is, according to a quick Google Image search) a very attractive man, with platinum blond hair, striking blue eyes, and amazing facial features. It's no wonder my very happily married mother swooned at the sight of him.

 _It was no wonder I swooned at the sight of his son, either._

When I was around ten, or so, I stopped seeing Dr. Cullen in the Emergency Room, and I figured he had just moved on to bigger places in the hospital. Another Google search led me to the conclusion that it was actually at that point that he moved to Seattle with his wife and son in order to become a lead researcher in the search for an Alzheimer's cure. Apparently, he was actually a neurologist who made rounds in the ER when necessary. (I experienced a lot of blunt force trauma to the head as a child, mostly from tripping over my own two feet and into something with a sharp edge.)

Doing a little more internet digging, I discovered Esme's Instagram and Pinterest account, which led me to Edward's Instagram and Twitter accounts. I didn't follow Edward, for obvious reasons, but I did follow Esme, mostly to stalk her son.

His Instagram pictures were mostly those of a typical college student and guy in his early twenties. Plenty of photos of him and his friends in someone's apartment, partying or just hanging out. In all of them, he was in a normal T-shirt and jeans, which made him somehow more attractive than the expensive suits I'd only ever seen him in at the club.

 _I'd have to ask him about that next time._

Occasionally, I'd come across a picture that was of him and his parents obviously at some sort of event, since him and his father would both be in very expensive suits, and his mother would be in a gorgeous gown. His father obviously made a lot of money being a lead researcher, and his mother's business probably did well for itself. (Further internet stalking led me to discover Esme owned her own interior design business. I couldn't help but think that her and Alice would probably be best friends, given the opportunity.)

In many pictures, I saw Edward with a beautiful blonde woman, who was very obviously his girlfriend. A click on her username in one of his photos led me to her own Instagram account, letting me know that her name was Lauren Mallory, and she was currently a senior at Portland State University.

* * *

So, there is chapter 3. I hope you guys liked it. And for the reviewer that asked, we now know Edward's age, and a little bit of who he is, thanks to Bella's stalking. Please give me feedback as to what you want to read. Even though I have a general idea of where this story is going, I still haven't gotten details down, so I'd like to hear what everyone is interested in. Leave me reviews to let me know how you feel. I am always open to suggestions.

Until next time, loves.


	5. The One With Halloween

Hello lovelies. I was obviously really excited about this chapter. I update a lot faster when I'm excited, if you can't tell. Shit's going to slowly start hitting the fan.

I had someone review last chapter that they were annoyed that I referred to Bella as a sexy worker, which I was a little confused about. I was wondering if anyone else felt this way and why? I call her a sex worker because that's what she is. The term 'sex worker' doesn't only refer to prostitutes or escorts. I am just honestly curious as to why the reviewer finds this annoying.

Anyway, thanks for all the love last chapter, I do really appreciate any and all feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR:**

 **BELLA POV**

 _October 2015_

Halloween. My, Rose, and Alice's favorite holiday. The day Rose and I get to bring our club outfits out into the real world without anyone realizing what we did as a profession. The day I could make an excuse to Emmett about why I had such a sexy outfit in my closet.

The best day of the year, really.

Ever since I was a kid, I always loved Halloween. Getting to dress up, parade around town in my costume, and get candy from my neighbors was always fun. Halloween was the one time a year my mom allowed me to consume so much candy in such a short period of time, and I definitely took advantage of it every.

Now that I was older, I still very much enjoyed Halloween, although it was for different reasons than when I was ten. Halloween was the one holiday I allowed myself to get absolutely shit-faced drunk with no inhibitions. I dressed however I pleased and had fun until the wee hours of the morning. I flirted mercilessly with guys I would never talk to again, and no one gave it a second thought. Halloween was freeing, and I took my one night a year to forget about everything but the party that was raging around me.

"Bella!" Alice called from down the hall. "I finished sewing, come try it on again."

This year, like every year that I've know her, Alice made my costume by hand. She refused to let Rose and I pay for and wear 'store bought pieces of shit' as she called them. We paid her for materials and she went to work making the best costumes she possibly could. Sometimes, having a best friend with a passion for clothing design came in handy.

I heaved myself off my bed, where I was doing some brief physiology review for my test on Monday. Our professor clearly hated us and wanted us to have the least amount of fun possible on Halloween. Even though it was Saturday, there was bound to be people taking advantage of the holiday and partying all weekend.

Alice met me in her doorway, a wide smile on her face. She held the one piece outfit out to me and pointed to the bathroom across the hall.

"Go try that on and let me see once it's on," she instructed. "Hopefully it's perfect this time," she mumbled, more to herself than to me. Alice had to fix the seams several times when she realized the material was too loose around my waist, and then when she fixed that, she was dissatisfied with the plunge of the neckline. Hopefully, third time's the charm.

I slipped into the bathroom, stripped, and then pulled the suit on, stepping in from the neckline and then wiggling the spandex material up my body. Luckily, it slid on over my hips, which I didn't know were as wide as they are until today. The black suit slid up easily and looked really good, at least to me. I thought it had looked good last time, but then Alice had found something wrong with it.

Alice was standing in the hallway when I opened the door. She squealed and clapped happily, bouncing on her toes, a wide grin on her face. Apparently this latest edition of the suit met Alice's high expectations of her own work, even though it was something that was only going to be worn once. Unless I decided to go as Black Widow next year, which was definitely a possibility.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed. "Or, should I say, purr-fect?" She giggled at her own pun.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, ha-ha, I'm going as catwoman. Hilarious."

"I know, that's what I'm here for."

* * *

"Em, how did you even find this party?" I inquired as we pulled up to a frat house off campus. Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, so there was actually still children out trick-or-treating.

 _Ah, to be young again._

"I have some buddies in the frat that are seniors this year," he shrugged, putting his truck in park. "They let me know when they have parties."

As Em turned the car off, Jasper, Alice's boyfriend, and I hopped out of the back seat, allowing Alice to slide out after us. Jasper and Alice met through Emmett, since the guys have been best friends since Jasper's freshman year. He was a business major from Texas, so he had a lovely southern drawl that Alice practically drooled over. He was a really nice guy, with sandy colored hair and a well-built body. Alice had made sure to show off his toned muscles with her costume selection of the night.

The couples obviously dressed up in matching costumes, courtesy of Alice being the one that picked out everyone's character. Rose had been put into a sexy police officer costume, complete with thigh high boots, which she previously owned, a thigh holster, and handcuffs. Emmett was, of course, her jailbird, in his striped red and white pants, no shirt, and a pair of handcuffs hanging off his left wrist. I was surprised they weren't already groping each other.

Alice had gone for the classic school girl costume. She had borrowed a plaid ultra-mini skirt I had, paired it with a white button-down that was tied in the front, and added thigh high grey socks and heeled black mary janes. The bright red bra she was wearing could easily be seen through the sheer material of her top, as well as peeking up over the neckline. Jasper was her naughty teacher, wearing black slacks, dress shoes, a white button-down that was open, as well as a tie that was undone, slung across his neck.

The couples were definitely rocking it together. And then there was me, Catwoman, without her Batman. Although, I always felt that Catwoman was great by herself and never needed Batman. But, it still would've been nice to have my own significant other by my side.

 _I'm sure Edward would look great in a Batman suit._

I shook that thought from my head. No need to bring my customer any more into my personal life than he already was. Little shit had wiggled his way into my every thought, and I didn't particularly appreciate it.

"Your costume turned out really good, Bella," Jasper complimented, looking over my skin tight black suit. The nod he gave me was definitely in appreciation of his girlfriend's work, and not the usual once over I got from customers at the club.

"Thanks, I know Ali worked really hard on it," I replied. I reached up to touch the ears on my head, making sure they were still nestled in place. I had gone for the Anne Hathaway version of the character, since the newest Batman series was definitely my favorite. Plus, it was a simple costume, and it only required knee high black boots, which I already owned, black gloves, and the ears and mask she wore in the movie, which was a few bucks at my local costume store.

Alice had straightened my hair for me earlier, making it sleek and shiny, like Anne Hathaway's was in the movie. I had applied a light smokey eye beneath the mask, just for when it might come off during the night. Drunk Bella had a tendency to lose pieces of her costume on Halloween, so I was prepared to lose the mask and ears.

"Hey, Rosie, my cousin just got here," Em announced, typing something out on his phone.

"Your cousin?" Alice asked.

"Ed came?" Jasper wondered, a smile breaking out across his face. "He got the night off?"

Em nodded, pocketing his phone. "Yeah, he usually has Saturdays off. His boss doesn't hate him too much, I guess." He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his chest.

"Who's Ed?" I asked, very confused about the conversation Emmett and Jasper were having.

"Emmett's cousin," Rose answered when neither of the guys bothered to pay me attention. "They grew up together, but I've never met him. He's a very busy guy, I guess." She rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed at this guy. "Emmy and I have been together for four years, we live in the city, and he's never bothered to come around."

"He's just busy, baby," Emmett amended, wrapping his arms around her waist. "He's here though, and you can meet him now." He beamed at her, causing his dimples to sink into his cheeks. No one could resist those dimples.

Rose huffed and rolled her eyes, but motioned for Emmett to lead the way. He smiled, grabbed onto her hand and started walking toward the open door of the frat house. Alice, Jasper and I followed behind them.

Pounding music poured through the door and open windows, reminding me of a night in the club. Luckily, our boss hadn't bitched too much when Rose and I told him we weren't going to be in on Halloween. He protested a bit in the beginning, but finally conceded when we pulled the "we're in college and we only get to be young once" card. That and the fact that together Rose and I racked in the most money for the club on any given night really helped our argument. Next weekend would be back to normal, though.

When Edward came in last weekend, I let him know I was going to be out for Halloween, as I had a party to go to. I didn't want him to needlessly show up, since he had confessed that the only reason he came to the club was to see me. He had informed me that he wouldn't have been there anyway, given that he had a prior engagement to attend.

It had been two weeks since we had started our little arrangement of getting to know each other in the vaguest sense possible. I'd dance for him while we asked each other questions back and forth. I learned that he was an only child, but he had gone to middle school and high school with his cousin, who was a year younger but a couple grades behind him, when his family moved to Seattle. I had told him that I, too, was an only child, and that my parents still lived in Forks. I also let it slip that I remember my mom having the hots for his dad the few times (I may have lied about the the frequency for confidentiality purposes) I had been to the ER. He had chuckled and told me that most women flirted with his father when he was at work.

I was brought back to present when we entered the house, already filled with dancing and drinking bodies. Emmett led us quickly to the kitchen, the area where there tended to be the least amount of people, since the hosts usually blocked it off to attendees.

As I suspected, there were only three guys in the kitchen, obviously members of the fraternity by the armbands they had on their right bicep, the Kappa Sigma letters embroidered into the material. The guys were known for wearing the bands so they were easily identifiable if a situation ever arose at their parties.

Emmett greeted the guys with jovial hollers, strange bro-hugs, and laughter. I only recognized the guy standing by the fridge, Tyler, since he was a senior year biology major. He was a part of the research team I was on for my senior project. We knew each other well enough, and we were friendly, so he recognized my face behind my mask, and nodded a greeting, which I returned with a small wave.

The guys all greeted Rose, since they and Emmett hung out quite often, and Rose was present more often than not. Em quickly threw out introductions, revealing the other guys' names were Alec and Sam, business and kinesiology majors, respectively.

As introductions were being made, I heard a voice I knew all too well. I cringed visibly as I heard him shout, "Bella, baby! I'd know that ass anywhere."

I turned to him as he walked up to me from behind, trying, and probably failing, to conceal the disgust on my face. I thought I had gotten rid of this guy a long time ago. Evidently not.

 _Jesus Christ, here we go._

"Jake," I acknowledged, nodding curtly. He grinned down at me, his perfectly straight, bright white teeth blinding me. He stooped down and gathered me into a hug, squeezing me half to death when he flexed his massive muscles. Jake was a football player, and it was obvious in his stature.

"How have you been, babydoll?" he enquired. "Sexy costume, by the way." He winked at me and I nearly vomited. His eyes roamed over me, and I had never felt so violated in my life, even with my years at the club.

"Thanks," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest, trying to hide my girls from his invasive gaze. They didn't appreciate being ogled like they were something to eat, at least, not by this guy.

 _Edward can stare at them all he wants. Hell, he could even touch, if he wanted._

Taking a deep breath to distract me from the thought, I moved away from Jake, toward where Alice and Jasper were standing. Luckily, Jake's attention turned toward where his brothers and Emmett were catching up.

"Isn't that the guy you dated freshman year?" Alice asked under her breath.

I huffed. "Unfortunately," I confirmed.

Jake and I met in our shared writing class, which was required for all freshman. He was cute, that hadn't changed, and he seemed nice enough. We had quickly become friends in the class and we worked together in any projects. Eventually, we moved from being friends to being together. I wouldn't say that we dated, necessarily, but we had definitely been together for about two months. We had messed around a bit, never taking it very far, but it was fun. When the end of the semester came around, I suggested that we call it quits on whatever we were doing. Jake seemed like he was okay with it, and he seemed to move onto the next girl pretty quickly. He never seemed to really grasp the concept that I was done with him, though, because he insisted on trying to maintain contact with me. He'd text me and ask to hang out constantly, annoying me to no end.

Eventually, I put an end to his advances by deleting and blocking his number on my phone, avoiding any social gathering I think he'd be at, and making a point not to attend any of the footballs games. All I wanted was a quick fling my freshman year, but Jake hadn't understood that I was done with him. I'd only run into him once in the last two years, and he had a girl with him, so I wasn't forced to speak to him. But tonight he seemed like he was alone, and he had probably set his sights on me.

"Have you guys seen Ed?" I heard Emmett ask, directing his question toward the guys in the frat. Rose, who had looked bored with the conversation, perked up at the mention of Emmett's cousin.

"Yeah, he came through here a few minutes before you did, actually," Tyler said. "I think he went out back to grab a drink and see some of the other guys."

I was slightly confused at their transaction. "How do you guys know Em's cousin?" I wondered aloud to anyone who would answer me.

"He was in the frat when he went here," Sam said. "He's a couple years ahead, so we didn't know each other all that well. But he's a brother." Sam shrugged one shoulder.

"Once a Kappa Sig, always a Kappa Sig," Alec recited, nodding his head. "We have gatherings for all brothers a couple times a year, and he usually shows up."

"Unless he's working," Em added. "Which he does a whole lot of lately."

"Hospitals don't give a shit about aspiring doctors' social lives, Em," Tyler explained. "They just care that you show up and don't fuck anything up."

"Wait, this guy is a resident?" I asked, getting slightly excited. Maybe he could tell me about medical school. I mean, Em was one of my best friends, so maybe his cousin wouldn't mind sitting down and answering my questions some time.

"Yeah, a surgical resident at OHSU hospital," Emmett confirmed. "Maybe once you guys meet, I could hook you guys up." Em winked at me, making a show of the gesture.

"Ooh, two doctors!" Alice tittered, speaking up for the first time. "You guys would be the ultimate power couple."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't even know this guy, Al."

"He's Em's cousin, how bad can he be?" she argued, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you want the honest answer to that?" Rose wondered, raising one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

"Thanks, Rosie," Em whined. "Best girlfriend of the year, over here."

She beamed up at him. Even though Rose was a few inches taller than me, Emmett still towered over her, even with her heels. He was a really big guy, over six feet tall and over two hundred pounds of muscle. It was a wonder he never played football in college, but between his job and his studies, he said there wasn't much time for anything else.

The rest of us chuckled before Emmett continued.

"Eddy is a really good guy, though," he nodded. "He's the type of guy that's a doctor because he genuinely wants to help people, not because he's in it for the money."

"Not that he needs the money, either," Sam scoffed. "Both of your families are loaded."

"He actually sees the money, though," Em huffed. "He did what my aunt and uncle wanted, but even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have gotten cut-off." Emmett seemed a little bitter about this fact. I didn't know that he had actually gotten cut off from his parents, I just thought they disagreed about his career choice.

"You're doing more than fine on your own, baby," Rose reassured him, wrapping her arms around one of his arms and snuggling into it. Rose wasn't a very compassionate person, but she turned into mush with Emmett, which was very sweet. She could be a raging bitch to him too, though.

"That's because I have you," he responded, dipping down to place a light kiss on her lips, probably to avoid getting completely covered by her bright red lipstick.

I heard Alice sigh next to me and pressing the side of her body into Jasper's. Alice was a hardcore romantic, so any display of affection made her visibly swoon. I thought it was sweet when I first met her, but I had quickly discovered that this girl got all giddy over absolutely everything.

"Can we go out to the party before I puke?" Jake asked. Rose flipped him off but tugged on Emmett's arm to take him out of the kitchen.

We all filed out into the living room where the DJ was set up and people were dancing, everyone had some type of drink in their hand, reminding me that I was yet to get any alcohol in my system, which was a real shame. It was Halloween, I was supposed to be getting drunk.

"What type of drinks are there?" I asked Tyler, saddling up beside him.

"Well, there's a tub of Jungle Juice in the garage, cans of beer are in the fridge out there, and bottled shit is in the coolers outside," he answered.

"Does that 'bottled shit' include Smirnoff?" I asked, a grin breaking out across my face. I was ready to get totally hammered.

"It does indeed," he answered, smiling back. "Do you want me to go grab you one?"

I shook my head. "No thanks, I got it. I was gonna take everyone out there to find Em's allusive cousin, anyway."

"Alright, see you around, Bella."

"See ya, Tyler."

I grabbed onto Rose's arm. She turned to face me, waiting for me to say something.

"Did we want to head out back for Em's cousin and drinks?" I asked her.

She smirked. "Sounds good to me." She was ready to get shit-faced too.

* * *

"Ed! I haven't seen you in forever, man!" Emmett bellowed, pulling a tall, lean guy into his arms, giving him a few slaps on the back.

I took inventory of the lean figure, who was now squished into Emmett's side. I couldn't really see his face in the dim lighting, but I could make out what he was wearing. Although, there wasn't much clothing to look at, really.

He had on dark blue scrub pants and black shoes. His naked torso was only covered by a white lab coat, the rippling muscles in his abdomen and chest visible to the world. A stethoscope was slung across his neck. There was a tattoo of some sort on his right pectoral muscle, but it was pretty indistinguishable in the poor lighting of the backyard. Just from what I could make out of his body, I'd say this guy was really hot.

 _Hot enough for drunk Bella to make out with tonight._

"It's good to see you too, Em." The man laughed and my stomach dropped.

I looked to Rose and noticed the shocked look on her face. Her eyes met mine briefly, panic clearly evident there. She and I were sharing the same thoughts in that moment.

 _Oh, shit._

I didn't have to see his face in better lighting. I didn't need to see the color of his crazy sex hair. I didn't need the introductions Emmett was going to make. Just from his voice alone, I knew exactly who this man was. I was about to live out my worst nightmare.

 _So much for my carefree Halloween._

* * *

So, yeah, that just happened. I'm sure it was no mystery who Emmett's cousin is, but I still want to leave it for next chapter. I have it planned out pretty much for the next couple chapters, but I still want your guys' feedback and what you want to see. No one's really given me any insight to what they want from this story, and I do like your guys' input.

Expect the next chapter to be up Friday or Saturday. I have work tomorrow after class and then I am taking my brother to Disneyland on Thursday, so I might not get time to write for a while. But I will definitely try my hardest to get another chapter posted this week.

Also, I'm curious to how you guys like the chapter lengths. Do you like the 3k-4k chapters, or would you prefer longer or shorter? I'm always willing to change the style up a little bit. Let me know!

Later lovelies!


	6. The One With Awkward Encounters

Sorry for the longer wait on this one, guys. Work and school got more in the way than I anticipated. But, it's up now and I hope you guys like it. Thank you to all of those that reviewed last chapter, I greatly appreciate it, truly. I love hearing what you all have to say, so please keep it up :)

I decided on Edward's POV for the first part of this chapter. I figured it would be a good change that some of you would appreciate.

 **CHAPTER FIVE:**

 **EDWARD POV**

"Ed, this is my girl, Rosalie," Emmett introduced. The tall blond in the skimpy police uniform extended her hand, a small smile on her face. She looked sort of familiar. Em sure knew how to pick them. This girl was stunning, with her long flowing hair, long legs and curvy body that could bring grown men to their knees.

My eyes apparently widened with realization, because Rosalie smirked at me, but she didn't say anything. I realized why she was familiar. She was a dancer at the club I had been going to the last couple of weekends. Barbie, I believe her name was. She was with Bambi nearly every time I walked into the strip club.

"It's nice to finally meet you, _Edward_ ," she stressed, telling me she knew exactly who I was. "It has been five years, though, so I'm a little bitter over that." She wrapped her arms around my neck and I was shocked at first, but I realized it wasn't just for a hug. "We'll talk later," she whispered before pulling away.

I smiled at her, silently telling her I agreed. I wasn't going to say anything if Em didn't know where she worked or if anyone else here didn't know about it.

"You remember Jasper, and this is his girlfriend, Alice," Em continued. Jaz and I shared a quick hug and Alice skipped over to me, enveloping me in a hug.

"Hi! It's so nice to meet you," she chirped in a very chipper voice. "I hope we get to see you around more often."

Emmett chuckled at his elfin friend. "And this is Bella, Rose and Alice's friend."

The last girl stepped forward, and offered her hand. Most every inch of her body was covered in black, except for her ample cleavage, which I _totally_ wasn't staring at, and her face, but that was also hidden behind her eye mask. I could see her big brown eyes through the little holes, though, reminding me of Bambi.

"No date tonight, Bella?" I asked her, hoping she'd say no. Although I couldn't see all of her, I knew she was gorgeous. Her body was enough to make every guy walking by turn their heads and stare.

Though she was next to the could-be model Rosalie, Bella held her own. She was probably less than five and a half feet tall, but she was wearing boots that made her legs look like they went on forever. The black spandex fabric of her Catwoman costume hugged her body like a second skin, making all her curves very apparent. Her breasts were nearly spilling out of the top of her costume, in the least trashy way, and how low it went definitely made me question whether she was wearing a bra.

 _Maybe I could find out later._

Jacob, one of the current frat members, came sauntering over then, slinging his arm across Bella's shoulders, making my eyes narrow. The few times that I'd met Jake, I could already tell that he wasn't that great of a guy. Apparently he and Bella knew each other, which made me question my attraction to her. Every girl had some sort of flaw, though.

"I could be your date tonight, Bells," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Bella's nose scrunched up and her lips flattened into a hard line.

"Yeah, that's not happening, Jake," she shut down, tossing his arm off of her. I smirked at the look of discontent on his face.

She looked back at me. "No, no date. I don't have anyone else to come with. Just these losers."

"What are you talking about?" Emmett boomed, looking hurt. "We're the coolest people you know, Baby Bells."

"That's because we're the only people she knows," Rosalie snickered. Bella raised her hand over her shoulder and flipped her friend the bird. I chuckled.

"Whatever, I need a drink," Bella announced. She turned and walked toward where the ice chests were.

"Come with me, Edward," Rosalie said, grabbing onto my arm. She dragged me to an area away from the party, to a porch swing. She sat me down before sitting beside me.

"Fancy finding out you're my boyfriend's allusive cousin," she began.

"I am really sorry that we haven't met before this, Rosalie." I was. I had meant to visit my cousin several times since he'd moved in with his girlfriend, but school and the residency had always gotten in the way. Trying to become a doctor was difficult. Especially when trying to fill in the Cullen family shoes.

"You can call me Rose," she said. "Anyway, I'm not upset about not meeting you before. I just want to know where you stand on the whole 'you've been coming into the club I work at for the last month' thing."

"Yeah, I figured that's what you wanted," I admitted, running my hand through my hair. It as an awful habit that I've had since I was a kid. My hair was unruly enough as it is, incessantly running my hands through it didn't make it any better. I had tried and failed many times to tame it. It's like it had a mind of its own.

"Emmett knows that I work there," Rose said, calming some of my fears. I hadn't wanted to say something in front of him and blow some secret she might have been keeping. "My friends know that I work there. It's really not a big deal. I just don't know if Emmett knows that you go there."

I shook my head slowly. "He does not. It's a vice of mine."

I wasn't exactly proud of going to a strip club every weekend. The first time I went, it was at the suggestion of one of my colleagues. I had just finished a very difficult and grueling interview with the heads of several hospitals. It was something all of the residents had to do in order to continue on from being a resident to an attending or fellow, depending on our path. The interview had been over three hours long and I needed to relax. I usually went to a bar a few blocks from the hospital, but we happened to be on the other side of the Willamette, so Riley suggested that we be a little more adventurous and go to a strip club he had heard about. I reluctantly agreed and ended up really enjoying my time there.

 _Enjoying Bambi, is more like it._

Rose smirked at me. "You mean Bambi is your vice." She chuckled, apparently having read my mind.

She was right. I didn't go to the strip club because I liked the atmosphere, because I didn't. Most of the men there were seedy and just leered at the women that worked there. I did appreciate the women's service and admired the work that they did. I found it fascinating how such small women could exert so much power as to do those things on a pole for the length of several songs. It was very impressive.

I only went the first time to appease Riley. When I saw Bambi dancing on that stage, though, I was immediately taken by how graceful and beautiful she was. She was different from most of the other girls, who were mainly varying degrees of blond, with long legs and tanned skin. Bambi's curly chestnut hair was obviously natural, and she was definitely a few inches shorter than the rest of the girls, even with those astoundingly tall heels on. I think she had called them Pleasers, one time during one of her dances. Her pale skin also called out to me. Everything about her was absolutely breathtaking.

I knew it was impossible for anything to come of my apparent obsession with her. She was a sex worker. She most probably only danced for me because I was a paying customer. After that first dance, I had continued to pay her the same amount every time we were together. I knew the rate of the dances were much less, but I had all this money lying around. I certainly didn't spend it even semi-regularly, so I might as well give it to someone who needed it. If I was helping her pay her way through college or pay for her rent, I was more than happy to keep giving the money to her. I knew from the way that she thanked me profusely every time I gave it to her, that she genuinely appreciates it. Plus, I loved the smile that lit up her face when I told her I was happy to give it to her.

"Is it really that obvious?" I asked Rose.

She barked out a laugh. "It usually takes guys a few weeks to find a girl they want regularly. It took you one night. And you never sit to watch other girls dance. You go straight for Bambi every time and leave once your private session is done. Plus, the way you look at her is not the way a customer looks at his favorite dancer."

I scrubbed my hands over my face and sighed. Who the hell starts falling for a girl that works at a strip club? Me, apparently, because I'm a sick fuck.

"Hey," she said, placing her hand on my shoulder. It was a very doctor-y move that I had learned very early on. It was a way to express sympathy when you had no empathy to give. "It's okay. You're human, it's natural."

"But?" I questioned. There was definitely a 'but' in her reassurance.

She sighed. "But, nothing can really come of your attraction to her, even if it's mutual." I looked up, and she probably recognized the expectancy in my face. She rolled her eyes. "It's definitely mutual, believe me. She hasn't outright said it, but she's one of my best friends. I can just tell."

"So then why can nothing come of it?" I asked. She had just said Bambi was attracted to me too, so why couldn't anything happen between us.

She sighed. "Because, Edward, she's a sex worker, and you're her customer," she said like it was obvious, but I was still confused. "If you asked her out, it might be construed as you wanting to pay her for more services than her dancing, and we're not escorts or prostitutes. And even though we'd all know that you're intentions are pure, it's just how this business goes."

"Then how do you and Em make it work?" I wondered.

"Emmett and I met and started dating before I became a stripper," she said. "He's actually the one who came up with my stage name." She laughed. "He was actually excited when I got hired. Said something about me being able to practice on him and bring home my new skills."

I grimaced. "Please, Rose, I don't need to know about your and Emmett's sex life."

* * *

 **BELLA POV**

I stalked over to the coolers Tyler had told me about early and threw the lids to one of them open, hoping to find what I was looking for. I cheered internally when I saw bottles of Smirnoff on one side, and grabbed whichever one touched my fingers first. I wasn't too picky about my alcohol, especially when my only goal was to get drunk.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I heard Alice asks. She had apparently followed me after I had fled the scene.

I sighed, slamming the lid of the cooler shut. I turned to her. Luckily, Jasper had hung back with Emmett and was no joined by some of the other guys in the frat. "It's him, Ali."

Even though I was the most vague a person can be, her eyes grew comically wide with realization. I would have laughed if I wasn't nearly having a panic attack right now.

"Emmett's cousin is _your_ Edward?" she asked, her voice slightly louder, although it was covered up by the sounds of the party going on around us. I nodded, popping open the top of my drink. "Jesus Christ, no wonder you and Rose looked like you'd seen a ghost."

I put the bottle to my lips and tipped it back, letting the cold liquid fill my mouth completely before swallowing it. I need someone alcohol in me to get through this night.

"We basically did. Our job is currently haunting our personal lives."

"Did he recognize you guys?" she asked. Her fingers fiddled with the tie of her shirt. It was a nervous habit of hers that I had picked up on very quickly when we first dormed together. She couldn't keep her hands still, like she was itching to get her next hit.

I took another long pull from the bottle, noticing it was already nearly empty. "He obviously recognized Rose," I said, gesturing to where she and Edward were sitting in a porch swing. "I think the mask of the costume kinda helped me out, though."

At least I hoped it did. He hadn't looked like he recognized me, which was good. He had looked up and down my body, though, which I was having mixed feelings about. On the one hand, I loved that he noticed me even when my body wasn't completely on display. Plus, I craved his attention at this point, which was very dangerous. On the other hand, it kind of made me cringe, knowing I was nothing more to him than just a body to appreciate, even when I wasn't nearly naked and shaking my ass in front of strangers for money.

"Well, just keep the mask on and maybe you can get through this night unscathed," Alice said, always the chipper optimist. "Now, let's get more booze in you to help loosen up."

I laughed as she latched onto my arm and started pulling me back toward the back door of the house. I threw back the rest of the drink, depositing it in a trash can as we passed by. We entered the kitchen again, where Tyler was with a girl I recognized. My body froze, but I don't think Alice noticed as she kept dragging me along.

"Tyler, where's the hard stuff?" Alice asked him. Tyler and I had been study buddies for a long time, so Alice knew him fairly well. "Bella needs to loosen up a little bit."

Tyler chuckled and walked over to the refrigerator. He reached up to the cabinets above the appliance, pulling down several bottles of various hard liquors. With his hands full, he walked to the island and set them down.

"Take your pick, Bella," he said, waving his hand out over the six or seven bottles he brought over.

I gazed at the booze, trying to keep my eyes off the girl standing by us. I didn't want to make it obvious that I knew her, but I was also trying to take her in, which wasn't the easiest task.

She was beautiful, with her dirty blond hair, which was obviously natural, and lightly bronzed skin. She was dressed in a green crop top, a cropped camo jacket, tiny camo shorts and tan boots. She was obviously an army brat, and I wondered if that was true of her real life. I didn't know how to feel about her, aside from the fact that she was very beautiful.

"Uh, how about some tequila?" I said. I looked to Alice, who smiled and nodded. Then, her smile turned devilish and a mirthful glint filled her eyes.

"Body shots, babe?" she asked, her voice taking on a playfully seductive tone. Alice and I were known to occasionally give the people at parties a show by doing body shots with each other. It was fun to see people's reactions. Alice and I got a kick out of it. Plus she used it as a way to get Jasper hot and bothered. Most men had a weird thing with girl-on-girl action.

"I'm down," I agreed. I heard Tyler laugh as he pulled out shot glasses, salt, and sliced up a lime for us. He popped off the cork of the bottle of Patron and poured two shots, sliding them closer to us.

There was a crowd gathered by the back door and the door that led into the living room. Alice always went first, so she pushed my hair over my shoulder and licked a line over my right breast as I put a slice of lime between my teeth. She shook some salt onto the trail she had created before licking it off. I heard a lot of the guys whoop and holler as she did so. Alice tossed the shot into her mouth and then took the lime between her teeth, winking at me when our faces were so close.

I laughed at her and then repeated the process on her, making sure I gave everyone a good show. I was nothing if not a people pleaser.

When I was done, we both laughed. Jasper, Emmett, Rose and Edward, came over to us. Jasper pulled his girlfriend into him. He leaned down to her ear and said something into it, causing Alice to giggle.

 _I don't even want to know._

"Not so Baby Bells, always working up the guys in the crowd," Em laughed, slapping me on the back. "Every damn party we go to." He shook his head in amusement. I shrugged and smirked.

"What can I say?" I asked rhetorically. "It's what I do best."

Rose laughed. "Apparently Edward has fallen victim, as well." She nudged her head to where Edward was standing beside her. He had a beer in his hand, but there was a strained look on his face, almost like her was in pain. "You should've heard him choke when we first walked in here."

Emmett laughed. "Don't feel bad about it, Ed. Bells does it to everyone."

"Hello, Edward," a voice came from behind Edward. His face scrunched up in confusion before he turned to face whoever spoke. When he turned, so did Em and Rose, allowing me to see the girl that was standing in the kitchen earlier. "Fancy seeing you here, stranger."

"Lauren?" Edward asked, apparently surprised to see her here. "I didn't know you came to these parties. You never wanted to go out when we were together."

She rolled her eyes. "It's been a year, Eddy. People change. I'm trying to enjoy college while I still can."

"Please don't call me that," Edward told her, a hard look in his eyes. "You know I never liked it."

 _Apparently, they're no longer together. There's nothing to worry about then._

My inner Bella did a happy dance while I tried to calm her.

 _There's nothing to worry about, because nothing is going to happen. Ever._

While Lauren and Edward continued their obviously tense conversation, Tyler poured more shots, offering them to Rose, Emmett and me. I happily took it from him, grateful for the effect the alcohol was already having on me. I had relaxed substantially and I was ready to actually enjoy myself. I tipped the shot back in time with my friends. He had poured Malibu rum, so it tasted much better than the plain tequila I had earlier.

"Let's go dance, bitch," Rose said, grabbing onto my hand and dragging me into the living room.

Some song that regularly played on the radio was coming through the speakers, but I couldn't even care anymore. The alcohol was making me feel good, and all I wanted to do was dance with my best friend for no other reason than to have fun. There was no pressure to get paid tonight.

Rose situated her body behind mine, our hips lined up with each others. Our hips swayed to the rhythm of the song, which Rose sang loudly in my ear. I couldn't help but laugh at her. I was determined to enjoy this night despite Edward being here. I just had to be a little more careful about being carefree.

As the song changed, Rose left to dance with Emmett, and a new body replaced hers behind me. I look up over my shoulder and saw Edward smiling down at me. My brain told me to be alarmed and stop dancing with him, but my body had different plans.

 _Just tonight I can let go and let him dance with me. Lord knows it'll never happen at the club._

His hands moved to my hips, gripping them lightly as I moved to the music. My hands moved up to tangle in the hair that I had come to enjoy in all its silky craziness. I was glad to know that he really was a gentleman and his hands never tried to roam anywhere that wasn't appropriate.

 _I wouldn't complain if he wanted to cop a feel, though._

I pushed dirty Bella out of my mind as much as I could. She didn't need to ruin this with her sexual thoughts of Edward. I just wanted to let go and have fun dancing with the guy that hadn't left my thoughts since the moment I met him.

Each time we were together I could feel myself being more drawn to him. I could feel my body yearning for his. Even my brain wanted to know more of him. He was fascinating to me, the way that he was so incredibly smart, the way that he was in the same field I wanted to find myself. His body drew me in, too. His bare chest today was a sight to be seen, rippling every time he moved. He obviously enjoyed working out, which he had confessed to me during one of our meetings. He had never said anything about the tattoo though, which I thought was interesting. I hadn't been close enough to really see what it was of, but I wanted to be. And I wanted to know if there were anymore covering his smooth skin.

I felt his mouth get closer to me, right beside my ear. He moved one hand to brush the hair there over my shoulder.

"I'd like to get to know you better, Bella," he whispered.

I weighed his sentiment in my drunk mind. I knew I could never see him outside of work as just Bella when he was still coming to the club. I'd have to tell him who I was before I even pretended to pursue anything with him. He needed to know, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell him. If he knew, Emmett had to know, and I didn't know if I was ready for that shit storm. I had been content in my little secrecy bubble for two years now; I wasn't sure if I even knew how to burst it.

"We'll see, Edward," I told him. "We will see."

* * *

So, some of you assumed that Edward would recognize Bella, but alas, the mask saved her. I have a plan that I've had from the beginning as to how Edward finally finds out Bella is Bambi. That will be in another few chapters, so I hope you guys can hold out just a little bit longer.

Again, let me know what you want to see in the next chapter. I love your suggestions and I love hearing how much you guys are into this story. I never expected this sort of reaction so quickly. It's absolutely amazing.

Until next time, lovelies.


	7. The One With Thanksgiving Pt 1

Thank you all so much for the response from last chapter. I really love when you all leave reviews letting me know what you think. A special thank you to Picichef, who leaves lovely long reviews telling me exactly what they think. I really truly appreciate it.

This part of the story is actually going to be split up into a few chapters, because there's going to be quite a bit happening in this part of the story. So here is the first part, which is actually only one day out of the week that this will span. Not every day will be a chapter, since that would be really annoying, and I know you are all dying to see Edward again ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX:**

 **BELLA POV**

 _November 2015_

Alice flopped down onto my bed, her breath leaving her in a big whoosh. For such a tiny thing, she sure made the bed move quite violently.

"Alright, you're all packed, Swan," she announced, turning her head to look at me. I smiled at her.

"Thank you, Brandon. Couldn't have done it without you." Literally. I hated packing, so going to visit my parents during the holidays and their birthdays was always a struggle. I never knew what to pack and where to put it or how to make it fit in as few bags as possible. Alice, being a whole lot more creative than I was, was able to get everything done quickly and efficiently. I was very grateful for her help.

"Yeah yeah, you say that every time," she said, waving me off with a hand. She suddenly sat up in bed, crossing her legs Indian style and looked at me expectantly. This was the stance she took up when we had story time together, which was often now that Edward had met the real me at the party on Halloween. He still came in every weekend like nothing was different, which made me confident that he really hadn't put the pieces together, which was great.

"So, tell me about yesterday with Edward," she prompted, a grin spreading across her face. Alice was convinced that Edward was eventually going to ask me out and that we were going to get married and have beautiful babies. Always the romantic.

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing really, Al," I told her. "It was a normal night, he came in, I danced for him while we talked, he paid me and then he left. Nothing spectacular happened, I promise."

"Boo, you guys are getting boring," she pouted. "Where am I supposed to get my juicy gossip from now? You guys need to speed along the relationship process."

"There is no relationship, Ali," I huffed. I might want there to be, but I knew that was never going to happen. "He's my customer and I'm a dancer. That's all it will ever be."

She gaped at me. "Isabella, don't think like that! Seeing you guys at the party a few weeks ago made it very clear that there is a connection between you. He couldn't keep his eyes and hands off of you!"

It was true. Even though a lot of that night's events are foggy thanks to my excessive consumption of alcohol, I do remember Edward being with me all night pretty clearly. We danced together for several songs, all parts of his body coming into contact with mine, which I could feel well through the thin material of my costume. His hands were constantly on my hips, waist and arms. He was a perfect gentleman as far as touching, even when he started to get pretty buzzed himself. I enjoyed having his hands on me though, considering I was the only one that could touch at the club. We ended up doing body shots off of each other by the end of the night, which Alice, Jasper, Em and Rose reminded me of every chance they got. Jasper and Emmett obviously didn't know I already knew Edward, but it didn't stop them from bringing up my apparent fascination with him.

Admittedly, I was very attracted to Edward, beyond the superficial stuff. Sure he was incredibly hot, but he was also more than that. He was literally a genius, and he was incredibly fascinating. I could tell he genuinely loved helping people and saving lives as a doctor. He loved his family, even Emmett, who he mentioned while we talked at the club a few times. He had mentioned not being able to go back home for Thanksgiving due to work, which I was grateful since Em's family and mine were celebrating together at their house in Seattle, and it was the first time I was going to meet his family. I was almost positive Edward's parents were going to be there as well, considering Edward's mother and Emmett's mother were sisters. I knew he was disappointed to be missing the holiday, though.

"He liked Bella, he likes Bambi as his dancer. I would hate to see how he reacts when he realizes they're the same person." I was so deep into a lie, it was hard to imagine what it'd be like when the truth came out. "I'm trying to keep that from happening for as long as possible."

"Have you ever considered that maybe he likes you for you, even though he sees all of you as two separate people?" Alice raised an eyebrow, questioning.

I gave her a blank stare. "That makes very little sense, Alice."

"So does this situation!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Why don't you just tell him? I'm sure he'd be able to handle it. He's a smart cookie." She chuckled at her own joke, having recently realized how Edward was classified as a genius. She had questioned his age and profession on Halloween, and he had told her how he had skipped a couple grades and graduated early. She was very impressed, to say the least.

"If I tell him, then I have to tell Emmett, and then Jasper will know by default. And then my parents will end up finding out somehow. It's just not practical." I wasn't willing to create a domino effect like that for someone who may or may not be interested in a relationship with me.

"Lives aren't about practicality, Bella," she chastised. "You knew it was going to get out at some point. I mean, it's been a good two years. I'd say you did a pretty good job at keeping it under wraps."

I sighed. She was right, of course. She always seemed to be right, which was really annoying. "I just don't know, Ali. I like him, I do. I just don't know if I want to risk it all for one guy. What if he hates me after I tell him, and it will have all been for nothing?"

Alice shrugged. "Then that's the price you pay. But I highly doubt he'll hate you. Maybe it'll make him like you that much more. You'd have killer bedroom skills to share, plus he'd get free lap dances whenever he wanted! Where is the downside? Because I don't see one."

* * *

"Do you want to stop and eat before we get to Seattle, sugar lips?" Em asked from the front seat.

I rolled my eyes at his nickname. Rose, Emmett and I drove the three hour ride to Seattle together, since we were all going to the same place anyhow. We were arriving at his parents' house tonight to go to a charity event for his dad's hospital, but that wasn't until eight tonight. It was only a few minutes after five now, and my stomach was protesting it's emptiness. I hadn't eaten since lunch at noon today. We were still about an hour out of Seattle, but we had plenty of time to grab something to eat and arrive with enough time to get ready.

"Yeah, I'm starving. And please drop the nicknames around our parents, Em," I begged him. His parents were very formal, and I hated seeing them cringe every time their son was crass, especially toward a woman. My parents weren't really a problem, but my dad got way too much enjoyment out of Emmett's antics, which usually doubled the teasing I took. I swear Charlie and Emmett had a serious bromance going.

"But Charlie gets a kick out of them!" he protested, slowly pulling into the oncoming off-ramp.

"Charlie loves anything that involves my embarrassment," I grumbled.

"Exactly!"

"Emmett, I have to side with Bella on this one," Rose interjected. I shot her a grateful look in the rearview mirror. She winked back at me. "You know how your parents are, I doubt the want to hear the names. Please don't give them any more reason to fight with you this week."

Emmett rolled his eyes and huffed. He looked like a child. "Fine, but only when they're around."

"That's all I ask," I told him.

"Better pile them on for the rest of the car ride, then, cupcake!"

* * *

When we arrived at Emmett's parents' house, my jaw nearly touched my lap. We were a little outside of the city, which I had visited a few times when I was younger. The McCarty's house was absolutely gorgeous in a contemporary, sleek sort of way. My taste more favored a Victorian style, but there was no doubt that this house was beautiful. It had to be a newer home, considering the large windows that allowed anyone to see in. I wondered if Emmett actually grew up in this house, or if his parents had more recently bought it.

Despite the crisp lines of the house, the environment around it was very much natural and woodsy. Their backyard faded into a forest tree line, which was common in many places in Washington. My own backyard in Forks was primarily forest. Needless to say, I wasn't allowed out there past sundown as a kid. When I got older, though, it made for a natural hideaway to drink and smoke when my parents were home.

Young Bella had dabbled in cigarettes for a while, which I only took part in for a month or two. Eventually I moved on to good old Mary Jane, which I still enjoyed once in awhile. Mostly after finals is when our apartment smelled of weed, since all of us needed a release after the stress of tests. I wouldn't consider any of us potheads, but we were usually up to it if someone offered. Oregon just legalized the recreational use of marijuana over the summer, so there were many nights our apartment building reeked of the stuff, even if the four of us weren't partaking in the fun.

Emmett pulled into the portico in front of the front door. I was still in awe of the house when Em's large hand thumped on my door.

"Come on, sweet cheeks," he shouted. "Mom and Dad are inside and you still need to get ready. No time to waste."

"Ooh, I get to make you look like a woman for once," Rose gushed, shooting me an evil smile from the front seat. She liked to play Dress Up with Bella almost as much as Alice did.

I grumbled at the thought of getting all dolled up for this event. Because David McCarty was the Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, he was invited to prestigious charity events the hospital held. And being so high up in the food chain, he was allowed to bring whomever he pleases, which was typically Emmett and Rosalie. This year, the invitation had extended my way and any date I wanted to bring. But considering the only person I was interested in was a bit problematic in this situation, I was attending by myself.

I should have just politely declined their offer and headed to my parents' house before Thanksgiving, but Rose really wanted me around as a bumper between all of them. I knew tensions were still a little high between Emmett and his folks, which meant Rosalie sometimes got the brunt of it, unfortunately. I couldn't really say no to a friend in need.

The front door of the house opened as I was attempting to haul my suitcase out of the trunk. Emmett hip-checked me and grabbed my bag from my arms, easily lifting it out and setting it on the ground.

"Allow me, Bella," he said, in an oddly formal tone. I gave him a strange look, but noticed Rose subtly tipping her head toward the house. I looked where she was nudging and saw a man and a woman standing next to each other in very nice clothes.

The man I assumed was Emmett's father was dressed in dark wash jeans and a white dress shirt that was rolled up to the elbows. He looked a lot like Emmett, with dark curly hair that was graying slightly near the temples. His eyes were a crystal blue color and his lips were curled up into a small smile. He was fairly built, sort of like Emmett, but he was much less bulky than his son. He appeared to be a lot kinder and gentler than Rose and Emmett had made him out to seem.

The woman next to him, Emmett's mother, looked very much like Edward, just a female version. She had that same copper colored hair, pulled back into a low ponytail that curled at the ends. Her cream colored button up and olive green ankle pants with her tan t-strap heels looked much too formal for her to be spending the better part of the day at home, but I didn't want to judge her too quickly. Her striking green eyes seemed hard-set, very much opposite of how I was used to seeing them in Edward's face. I wondered, if Emmett's mom looked this much like Edward, how much did Edward and his mother resemble each other?

"Hello, you must be Isabella," Em's mother greeted, a tight grin turning on her lips. Her eyes grazed over my body, and I realized I was very much underdressed compared to her. I was just in some jeans, which were ripped a little bit, and a PSU sweatshirt. I figured we were just traveling for a few hours, so no need to get dressed up. Apparently, Mrs. McCarty thought differently.

 _Wow, way to go on the first impressions, Bella._

"I am," I confirmed, trying to give her the kindest smile I could. "You can just call me Bella, though." I put my hand out and she shook it limply.

"Alright," she said, a bit of a grimace on her face. The woman wasn't fond of nicknames, apparently. I was just fucking this whole meeting up, wasn't I? "I'm Emmett's mother, Dr. McCarty."

I held back an eye roll. We were both adults, why couldn't I call her by her first name?

"It's nice to meet you," I told her, obviously lying through my teeth. I tried not to show her how much I already detested her, and I turned to her husband to busy myself with something else.

"You must be the other Dr. McCarty," I told him, a genuine smile lighting my face at his kind one. I could tell just from the few moments in his presence that he was much more laid back than his wife. I wonder how he put up with her poor attitude?

"I am," he confirmed, his smile growing to show his pearly whites. He shook my outstretched hand, much more enthusiastically than his wife. "Call me David, though. I'm not one for titles."

So Dr. McCarty and David were different in a lot of ways. I wondered if Emmett had a problem with both of his parents or just his mother. I'd have to ask him once we got some time away from them.

Emmett and his parents greeted each other. David and Em embraced in a warm hug while Em gave his mother an obligatory kiss on the cheek while she chided him for not visiting sooner. Emmett rolled his eyes while his mother wasn't looking. Rose received a kiss on the cheek from David and shared an awkward-looking handshake with the good doctor. So apparently all the tension was with Em's mother.

We were invited inside, Emmett and David carrying our luggage up to our respective rooms. Mine and Rose and Em's rooms were across from each other, a bathroom attached to each of them. I was honestly surprised that Rose and Em were going to be sleeping in the same room, considering how Dr. McCarty acted toward Rose. Although, she had a contrite look on her face when David put the pair's luggage in the same room. I had a feeling she had only allowed it because her husband had talked to her about it beforehand.

"The car will be here to pick us up at 7:45," Em's mother told us, after the three of us had gotten settled. "Your gowns are in your closets, and Emmett, your tuxedo is in the laundry room. Zafrina had to steam it when it arrived."

With that, she departed, disappearing into what I assumed was her and David's room, closing the door loudly behind her.

"Well, isn't she a ray of sunshine?"

Rose snickered.

* * *

"What the actual fuck?" I questioned. Rose and I had brought our dresses into the room I was staying in so Emmett could shower in their bathroom. They had been in garment bags when we first saw them, so I neither of us had gotten a chance to look at their contents until now.

"McCarty's spare no expense," Rose explained, trying to justify the gowns laid out on the bed.

"Even for people they don't appear to like very much?" I wondered, trying to envision Emmett's mother shopping for these dresses for us.

"Even then," Rose confirmed. "Nothing but the best for the people around them. She has to keep up her appearances, you know?"

"These are designer brands, Rose," I told her, giving her a raised eyebrow. "What if I trip and rip the hem?"

She shrugged. "Don't trip." I gave her a deadpan look. "Channel the graceful stripper I see every weekend at the club. Just not the dancing half naked, part."

I laughed and she joined along. I was very grateful that the door was closed.

"Alright, I'm going to do your makeup and hair before mine, so sit," she instructed, pushing me down into the chair attached to the vanity. Yes, there was an actual lit vanity in this room. This family was absolutely swimming in money.

 _Must be nice._

I sat as still as possible for the next forty-five minutes as Rose poked at my face, applying makeup I had no idea how to use. There was all sorts of products that she was putting on my face that I had never even heard of before. I put on a lot of makeup at the club, but that was eye makeup, and I only knew how to put it on dark and smokey. Rose was basically giving me an entirely new face, as far as I could tell.

When she finished my makeup, she simply pulled my hair into a low bun, leaving the shorter strands near my face out. My hair was naturally wavy, so she said a simple pulled back style would suit well with the neckline of my dress.

Once she was completely finished, I studied myself in the mirror, astonished at what I saw. It had felt like Rose completely painted on a new layer of skin, but my skin looked the same, if not better. My freckles were gone and the scar on my chin from one of my many accidents as a child was cleared. My normally round cheeks looked slimmer, due to something she had called 'contouring'. My eyes were shimmer in the middle and quickly transitioned to a purply-brown color. Rose said it was a cut-crease, which sounded fancy and way too intricate for me to do myself. My lips were covered in a nude color, that Rose said went well with the color of my eyes and dress. I looked really good, so I just thanked her profusely and sat and watched her as she did her own hair and makeup.

Rose's eyes were a lot more plain than mine. She put very light eyeshadow on and created a perfect black winged eyeliner. Her eyes were subtle, but she wore a deep wine colored lipstick that was a great compliment to her dress. She told me that you could only have one focal point on your face: either your lips or your eyes. If one was bold, than the other had to be more neutral. I had to remember that little tip for potential future use, if I ever did my own makeup outside of the club.

Rose curled her hair in big waves, that she left down, with one side pinned so all her hair fell over one shoulder. She stood from her chair and turned to me.

"Time to get dressed," she announced. I groaned, terrified of putting the very expensive evening gown on. I was not meant to wear designer clothes with floor length hems. I was meant to wear skimpy clothing that was easy to move and dance in. I could handle that. I wasn't sure I could handle anything this fancy.

I helped Rosalie with hers first, since I would be too afraid to even so much as move once I had mine on. We carefully removed the black from the garment bag. I helped bunch it up so Rose could slip it on over her head, which was made a little difficult from the long lace sleeves that were on it. Once it was on, I could clearly see that Emmett's mother had tried to downplay Rose's curves as much as she could. The dress was absolutely stunning, especially on Rose, but the majority of her skin was covered. The neckline was high, concealing Rose's very ample cleavage. The goal of the dress had not been reached, though, because Rose's curvy hips were prominent even in the straight skirt, and the size of her breasts were still very apparent under the material. She still looked like some Hollywood sex symbol who was trying to play coy.

Rose helped me into my dress next, carefully slipping the dark teal material over my head. The sleeveless holes were easier to maneuver than the sleeves on Rose's dress, so getting it on was less stressful. Once it was on properly, I realized the good doctor had underestimated the shape of my body, because this deep neckline was leaving little to the imagination. The amount of material here was definitely meant for someone with a much smaller cup size than me. This was showing nearly as much cleavage as my Halloween costume had, and Alice had tried hard to get that much to show. While the material was pretty flowing and shifted when I walked, the band at my waist defined my curves, probably the opposite of the doctor's intentions.

"Jesus, Bella," Rose whispered after I had gotten it on. She let out a low whistle, turning me on the spot to get a view from all angles. "Your tits are huge in this dress. And this soft material is doing incredible things for your ass."

I turned to look at my butt in the mirror. Sure enough, the clingy material stuck to the curve of my backside in a very flattering way.

 _Too bad Edward wasn't here to witness this._

"I'm sure Em's mom did not have this in mind when she ordered this dress," I voiced to Rose. She laughed heartily.

"No, I'm sure she didn't. Her plan to cover as much as possible sort of backfired on her."

* * *

Just like she had said, the car Dr. McCarty set up arrived in the driveway precisely at 7:45. The "car" was actually a very sleek black stretch limo. Emmett and David helped Rose, Em's mom and I into the car first, and then slid in themselves.

The drive to the event took about twenty minutes, and in that time David was able to grill me about the details of my life while his wife gave him disapproving looks that he blatantly ignored.

"So Bella, how old are you and what are you going to college for?" he started off with. We were not even out of his driveway yet. "Emmett hasn't said much about you beside that you guys are roommates and you met through Rose."

"Well, he's not wrong," I said, earning a chuckle that sounded much like Emmett's. "I just turned twenty in September. I'm a biology major; I want to be a surgeon eventually. At least, that's the goal."

"A surgeon, huh?" David said. "Do you know what area?"

"Not really, no," I shook my head. "I always thought trauma would be a good area, though it's not as prestigious. I enjoy the fast pace that the ER can have."

"I was never a surgeon, but I was the trauma attending at UW Medical Center for a few years," he said, a smile spreading across his face, not that it ever fully left. "I loved it in the ER. There's always something to do." He chuckled.

"Yeah, and I figure that's the area I could get the most experience out of," I confessed. "One day, maybe I'll specialize further, but I feel like trauma is where I'm supposed to be for awhile."

"That's great that you think like that," he said. He pulled a bottle of champagne out of the mini fridge that was back here. He poured a glass and handed it to his wife. "More students that want to get into medicine need a mindset like that." He poured a glass and handed it to Rose, then another he handed to Emmett. "Do you have a graduate school in mind yet? I know you're only a junior, but it's good to start thinking about it now."

"I was considering OHSU," I confessed. "It's close to where I'm at now, and it has the type of program that I want. And the fact that they're a teaching hospital is especially appealing."

"Would you like a glass of champagne, Bella?" he asked, quickly interjected into the conversation.

"David, she's underage!" his wife balked, her brows furrowing.

Her husband rolled his eyes. "It's a special occasion, Elizabeth," he reasoned. "She's an adult, and it's one glass. I think Bella can handle herself, dear." He handed me the flute.

Elizabeth huffed. She clasped her hands in her lap, her lips setting into a hard line. She was beautiful, I had to admit, even with a sour expression on her face. I could see why David would have initially been attracted to her. She was still in great shape for her age, too, which was evident in the plain black dress she wore. It was slim fit, and the very shallow v-neckline flattered her body shape. It was plain, but it suited her.

David resumed our conversation. "My nephew graduated from OHSU," he said. I nearly choked on my drink at the mention of Edward. I passed it off as clearing my throat as he continued. "Edward is brilliant and well-liked by the professors over there. Maybe he could put in a good word for you once the time comes."

I saw Rose and Emmett chuckle and whisper to each other at the mention of Edward. I could only imagine they were talking about our actions on Halloween. We had definitely gotten pretty touchy-feely after several drinks. I hadn't thought of Edward as a drinker, since he only ever had on drink when we were at the club. But, when that man wanted to party, he definitely had no qualms about partying. I saw him take four shots of tequila in ten minutes. I would have been worried about him if I hadn't known he was a doctor that could take care of himself.

Luckily, neither of them mentioned Edward and I already knowing each other. I figured we were keeping it secret for some reason, even though I wasn't sure why. So, I figured I shouldn't mention anything about it, either.

"I'd really appreciate that, thank you," I told him. I tipped my champagne toward him and he carefully clinked his glass with mine.

David continued to ask me about how I was liking my classes and how well I did in them. He was very glad to hear that I had received A's in all my major classes and nothing lower than B's in any of my GE courses. He asked what I did to pay for college, and I told him the same lie that I continued to tell his son. Elizabeth would have a heart attack if she knew what I really did for the money.

Soon we came to a stop, and the door of the limo opened.

"We have arrived, Dr. and Dr. McCarty."

* * *

Next chapter we will see the charity event and more of the glitz and glamour of the rich life. Plus, Edward's parents come in! I hope you like what I have in store for Carlisle and Esme ;)

As always, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Tell me how you like the story, let me know what you want to see in future chapters, or just stop by and say hello! I love hearing from you guys.

Also, I have posted outfits and images of the characters from certain chapters on my profile page. You have to copy and paste the link in your browser and then mess with it a little bit, but they're there if you want a little peak into my mind. I will continue to post images on there when I deem it appropriate. Let me know what you guys think about that, as well.

Until next time, lovelies!


	8. The One With Thanksgiving Pt 2

Hey everyone! I really appreciate the response from last chapter. I actually finished this chapter yesterday, but I figured I wouldn't post it until today. I'm trying to pre-write a few chapters so I can be ahead of myself instead of struggling to get chapters out when I want to. I'm a professional procrastinator, though. We'll see how long this lasts.

So, we get to meet the Cullens in this chapter, and I quite like them. So, I hope you do too! Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN:**

 **BELLA POV**

Stepping into the building was like immersing myself into an entirely different world I had no idea existed. Everything in the long hall looked expensive, from the marble floors to the crystal chandeliers. Everyone was dressed to the nines, the women in designer gowns and the men in crisp tuxedos. Music from a live band filled the air, sophisticated in sound. This place was nearly the exact opposite of the room that I typically found myself in on the weekends.

Emmett hooked his arms through both mine and Rose's, taking over the duty of being both her date and mine.

"My, my," I said, patting his arm with my free hand, "who knew you could be such a gentleman?" I said it under my breath so only Rose and Emmett could hear. I didn't need to face the wrath of Dr. McCarty.

"His mother would have his head if he was anything but a gentleman when he's around her," Rose said, snickering. She found it hilarious that Emmett was so terrified of his mother, who was nearly a foot shorter than him and weighed half as much as he did.

"Hell hath no fury like my mother," he grimaced. I'm sure there were stories attesting to his claim.

David and his wife were a few steps ahead of us, greeting who I assumed were other doctors from the hospital. A group of four of them had gathered and were happily greeting David, and then regarded Elizabeth very stoically, probably very familiar with her attitude.

A flash of coppery hair was all I saw before Emmett was yanked from my arm. I was startled, and stumbled back a little, looking at the scene before me.

"Emmy!" a feminine voice gushed. "I feel like it's been forever, dear." The woman peeled her body off of Emmett's as he chuckled.

"I know, I'm sorry Aunt Esme," he said. "It's good to see you."

The woman stepped back and smiled at him, and I was hit with that sense of familiarity. Her strangely colored hair, striking green eyes and smile were the spitting image of her son's. It was almost eerie how close the features were between the two people.

 _Apparently she can look even more like Edward than her sister._

"It's good to see you too, dear," she said, resting her hands on his shoulders. She looked at him lovingly, a look that I had expected to see come from Elizabeth.

Esme Cullen was a stunning woman. Even in her late forties, she was still extremely beautiful. Her pale skin was flawless, and I wasn't sure if it was makeup or natural, but I was willing to bet she looked good without makeup on, too. She was a naturally thin person, and she was about my height. The dress she wore was a gold color, with minimal beadwork, a wide v-neckline, and cap sleeves. It was much more flashy than her sister's which I thought was a great representation of their personalities.

"Rosalie, sweetie, you look absolutely breathtaking," Esme gushed, moving from her nephew to his girlfriend. She pulled Rosalie into a warm hug, that Rose returned. I could see how much both Rose and Em liked Esme more than her sister. It was definitely understandable.

"Thank you, Esme, so do you," Rose returned one they released each other from their embrace.

"Carlisle picked it out," she giggled. For being nearly in her fifties, she was a young spirit. She sort of reminded me of Alice. "Now introduce me to your friend." Her eyes landed on me with her demand.

Emmett laughed. "Aunt Esme, this is Isabella Swan," he said. "Bella, this is Esme Cullen."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cullen," I greeted, smiling and putting my hand out for her to shake. She had been warm with Rose, but they obviously knew each other. I wasn't sure if I was worthy of a hug yet.

"Nonsense, honey," she said, batting my hand away. She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug. "Call me Esme. My mother-in-law is Mrs. Cullen." She pulled out of the hug and looked me up and down, a smile still wide on her beautiful face. "Well, Isabella, you are just gorgeous. Could give Rose a run for her money." She winked at me.

I heard Rose scoff. "As if," she replied, but she winked at me when I looked to her.

"Oh, please, darling," Esme said, swatting her hand like she was swatting Rose's words away. "You and Isabella are both beautiful young women."

"You can call me Bella, Esme," I told her. I really hated hearing my full name. It was a mouthful and I usually only heard it when I was being scolded.

"Oh good, I love nicknames," she said. "Come with me to the bar, dear. I want to get to know you better. Then we can leave this lovely couple to dance and mingle." Esme looked to where Rose and Emmett were once again linked together.

They waved goodbye and Esme tugged me to the bar, sitting me down in a stool and then sitting in the one next to me. She turned so she was facing me. Before she could say anything, the bartender came by, dressed in a fancy tux.

 _Definitely different from the club._

"What can I get you, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked, smiling kindly at her.

"I'll have a Manhattan," she said. Now I know where Edward got his taste for bourbon from. "Bella, what will you be having?"

"A lime margarita, please."

Esme raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. "I like tequila," I admitted. She chuckled as the bartender walked away.

"So, how old are you, dear?" she asked. When I told her I was twenty, simply winked at me and said, "I won't tell if you don't."

I clinked my glass to her's when our drinks arrived, agreeing to her sentiment.

"Did you grow up in the Portland area, or are you just there for school?" Esme asked after we had both taken a sip.

"Just school. I grew up here in Washington, actually."

"Really, whereabouts?"

I contemplated actually telling her the truth or lying, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her where I grew up. I'd probably end up seeing her husband, the man who had stitched many of my open wounds and casted a few broken bones, at some point in the night.

"I'm from Forks, born and raised," I told her, taking a sip of my drink as I watched her reaction.

"What a small world!" she exclaimed. She bounced in her seat a little, and I wondered if she'd already had a few drinks tonight. "Carlisle and I lived in Forks before moving to Seattle. You wouldn't have gone to school with our son, Edward. He's a few years older than you."

"I know your husband, actually," I admitted. My finger circled the rim of my glass. "I was, uh, quite accident prone as a child. I spent many hours in the ER at Forks Community Hospital."

"Oh! Your Chief Swan's daughter!" she chirped. "Carlisle recounted your visits at least once a month." She chuckled. Her gaze swept across the room, probably looking for her husband. I smiled as I saw the aforementioned man walk up behind his wife. She nearly fell out of her seat when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Carlisle, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" she admonished, lightly slapping his arm.

Her husband chuckled. "It's a good thing you're in a room full of doctors, then."

Esme rolled her eyes, but she smiled. "Oh, dear, this is Emmett and Rose's friend, Bella Swan."

I smiled at Dr. Cullen as he reached out a hand to shake with mine. His electric blue eyes met mine and then widened. A smile split across his face.

"Little Bella Swan! Chief Swan and Renee's daughter," he said, recognizing who I was. I had spent much of my childhood in his hospital, and Forks was a pretty small town. It was rare when you didn't know someone when you saw them around town. It was part of the reason I was so eager to get out. "Well, not 'little' anymore. How old are you now, Bella?"

"I'm twenty," I told him, still smiling. Dr. Cullen was so good-natured and easy to talk to, as well as easy on the eyes. I didn't really understand why my mom was always so eager to go with me whenever I needed to go to the ER. As an adult, though, I could fully appreciate the magnificence that was Dr. Cullen. Even as he was getting older, he was a very attractive man. Him and Esme together was almost too much to handle. It was no wonder Edward was as beautiful as he is.

"The last time I saw you, you were still in elementary school," he reminisced. "I last saw you for a broken wrist and possible head trauma."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I wasn't the best at the monkey bars."

He laughed, sounding much like Edward. "I hope you learned to stay away from them."

"I did," I confirmed. "I have since grown out of my clumsiness. Well, for the most part." I had to pay a visit to the nearest ER a couple years ago when I first started dancing. Me in six inch Pleasers wasn't the best idea back then.

"That's good to hear. Are you going to school around here?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm going to PSU. I'm in my third year undergrad."

"Oh really? What major?" he asked. He seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing with my life. I had always liked how caring he was toward his patients. "My son attended PSU for his undergrad, as well," he added as an afterthought.

"Biology on a pre-med track," I said.

He smiled. "That's exciting, Bella. I'm glad all your ER visits didn't deter you from medicine."

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I could feel my face heating up. "Um, you were actually what made me want to be a doctor," I admitted. I hadn't actually told anyone that before. "You made me not afraid to be in the hospital, and you always looked like you really enjoyed your job. When I realized I was interested in medicine, I remembered seeing you working in the ER, and I knew I wanted to look that content one day."

"I'm flattered, Bella," he said.

"Oh, you really should meet Edward, our son," Esme suddenly gushed. She hadn't been part of the conversation, but she had obviously been thinking while her husband and I were talking. "He's a first year resident at OHSU. He's not here today, as he had to work this week. The life of a doctor is not an easy one." Her eyebrows furrowed, probably remembering when Carlisle was fresh out of medical school, and now she was reliving it with never seeing her son. I knew Edward missed her just as much.

She snapped out of her down mood rather quickly. "Anyway, you should definitely have Emmett arrange for you two to meet. I'm sure he'd have a lot to share about medical school and residency once the time comes. And I'm sure you wouldn't mind each other's company." Esme beamed at me. I noticed the intentions behind her words.

Carlisle apparently did, as well. "Esme, dear, please stop trying to set Edward up with a girl. Bella's lovely, but our son needs to find someone on his own."

"Don't be silly, Carlisle," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I'm not trying to set them up, I just suggested that they meet and spend some time together. Maybe get to know each other over dinner."

Her husband rolled his eyes as I felt the blush coming back. Thinking of Edward and I out to dinner made me fantasize about actually getting to know him as Bella, not just Bambi. I hated admitting to myself that I was interested in Edward because it meant that I'd have to decide whether to tell him who I actually was. If I wanted anything more than our weekends together at the club, I'd have to tell him the truth, and that was terrifying.

"What you just described is the definition of setting someone up," Carlisle chastised.

"But, honey, think of how cute they'd be together," she pouted. "They'd both be brilliant doctors, and they'd make brilliant little babies. I want grandchildren, Carlisle."

I choked on my drink that I had been using to try to cool myself down. Now I was blushing even harder and coughing to get the liquid out of my lungs. I'm sure I was the picture of grace in that moment.

* * *

Carlisle apologized for his buzzed wife's words over and over again, and I kept assuring him that it was alright. I had figured she was pretty tipsy from the moment I met her, so I'm sure her filter just kept getting larger and larger holes in it as time wore on.

I said my quick goodbyes to the Cullens and went off in search of Rose and Em. I found them standing beside Em's parents, in a group with some other men and women I didn't know. I sidled up next to Rose.

"Where did you run off to?" she murmured to me, trying to not interrupt the conversation she was obviously not a part of.

"I was talking with Esme and Dr. Cullen," I told her. "Esme is trying to set me and Edward."  
Rose chuckled, holding in the larger laugh she wanted to let out. "I hope she didn't say anything about grandchildren while you were around. She wants them very badly."

"Oh, she definitely mentioned the grandchildren, thing," I grimaced. "She has no filter when she's drunk."

"Bella, Esme Cullen never has a filter."

The rest of the charity event went without a hitch. Elizabeth, David and Carlisle were recognized for the work in their respective fields, as well as being large donors to the hospital and other organizations. Esme she'd see me on Thanksgiving and that she'd speak with me more about Edward. I was a little apprehensive about that part.

Carlisle expressed his excitement when he learned my parents were going to be joining us on Thanksgiving. Apparently he and my dad had been fishing buddies when they lived in Forks, so he was looking forward to seeing him again. As for my mom, he just chuckled and said he hoped she wouldn't drink too much. Much like Esme, my mother's verbal filter dissolved when she had a glass or two of wine, and I didn't want to know what would come out of her mouth if that happened around Dr. Cullen. She was bad enough when she was sober.

The next day, I had plans to catch up with an old friend from high school. Angela was in town to visit her fiance's family for the holidays. She met Ben her first year at U Dub where they were both English majors. It was a quick romance, obviously, since their wedding date was set for the spring. And I, of course, was maid of honor, since we had been best friends since elementary school.

We met at a restaurant in the middle of the city that she said was really good. Since I didn't have a car here and Rose and Em had went out today, I was stuck having the McCarty's driver take me out, which I felt shitty about. I felt less like a decent human being having a random person drive me around, especially when I had a perfectly good driver's license that I could use.

When I walked in, Angela was already there, and she waved me over when she saw me. Her engagement ring sparkled in the dimmed lighting of the restaurant. I'm glad Alice had packed for me, because I would not have included as many dressy outfits as she had. This place wasn't formal by any means, but my normal sweatshirt and jeans wouldn't have cut it. And, Alice being Alice, she made my outfits look really great, but still feel comfortable. Today I was in a grey sweater dress, black tights, and black ankle boots. It was simple, but I definitely fit in in this restaurant where people were taking their lunch break from their fancy office settings.

"Bella! I'm so glad you could make it!" she gushed. She reached across the table and we gave each other a small hug.

"Me too," I told her. "I really miss you."

"So do I," she pouted. "You're going to have to be around more often once the wedding gets closer."

"I know, I wouldn't miss any of it for the world." I crossed my finger over my heart in an 'X' shape. It was our version of a pinky promise that we had done since we were little.

"Good," she beamed. "Now how has my favorite stripper been?"

I rolled my eyes. Angela was the only other person beside Rose and Alice that knew I worked at the club. When I had first told her, she just appraised my body and said, "Yep, I can see it," before asking me for a lap dance. Now, she made it a point to make jokes about it every time we talked. I really didn't mind since I didn't see her all that often anymore, but I liked to tease back just as much.

"Rose would be so offended by that if she were here right now," I joked.

The waiter came by then and took our drink order, quickly flitting away again to go fulfill it.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Rose, but I've known you longer," Angela shrugged. "The least I can do is dub you my favorite stripper."

"Thanks, how kind and sincere of you," I deadpanned.

Angela laughed as the waiter came back. He placed our drinks in front of us and took our food orders. I barely had a chance to look at the menu while I was talking to Angela, so I quickly ordered a bowl of fettucini alfredo and passed on my menu. Angela got a dish of baked ziti and the waiter took off once again.

"Have you decided on a caterer yet? Last time I spoke to you, you couldn't decide whether you wanted Italian or Korean barbeque."

Both Angela and Ben were Korean, so the Korean barbeque would seem like a fitting, albeit Americanized, choice, but they both really loved Italian. I was a sucker for Italian, because, really? Who didn't like pasta? But Korean barbeque was some of the best food I had ever had the good fortune of eating.

"We decided on the Korean barbeque," she said. "Figured it would be less messy, and our relatives from Korea might actually eat it." She rolled her eyes. Her grandmother had argued during every decision she made because Angela and Ben were too white-washed and modernized. She nearly had a heart attack when Angela had told her she was wearing a wedding gown instead of the traditional wedding garb of South Korea.

"Whichever one you chose would have been good," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "They're both pretty delicious."

Our waiter came by and asked if we'd like any wine with our meal. Apparently they didn't care about the legal drinking age, because he didn't ask for ID when I told him I would. Angela declined and he walked away.

"You didn't drive here?" she asked me, her eyebrow raised.

I huffed. "No, Rose and Emmett have his car, so his dad had their driver bring me. I feel ridiculous being driven around. But if it means I can have wine with lunch, I hate it a little bit less."

"Must be nice being rich like that," Angela sighed. She was definitely fantasizing.

"I guess," I said. "Why don't you have a glass? I can always get the driver to take you back to Ben's parents' place. Then you guys can just come get your car later."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine, I'll just drive myself home."

"Are you sure? I'm sure David wouldn't mind. Elizabeth might, but I can't really care about that." She had been nothing but cold to me last night and made snide comments about her son's chosen life path. I could see now why he didn't visit often.

"I'm sure, I'm not allowed to be drinking anyway," she said, waving it off with her hand.

"Oh, are you on some kind of medication or something?" I wondered. She hadn't mentioned anything about being on any meds, but a lot of them you weren't allowed to mix with alcohol due to adverse side effects.

She chuckled. "No, Bella." She shook her head. "This is part of the reason I wanted to have lunch with you today."

"What are you talking about? Are you sick?" I was clearly going to be the worst doctor ever if I couldn't pick up symptoms from my best friend.

She was full on laughing at this point, and I was sitting there, very confused.

"Bella, honey, please don't ever go into obstetrics. I'm not sick. I'm pregnant."

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that. She was right; obstetrics was definitely crossed off my list of possible fields of expertise.

"Oh my God, Ang! That's amazing! Congratulations." I reached across the table and hugged her again. "How did Ben take it when you told him?"

"He was happy after he got over the shock," she said, chuckling. "He's really excited now, though."

"How far along are you?" I asked.

"Thirteen weeks as of yesterday."

I did some quick math in my head. "So that'll make you...nearly twenty-eight weeks pregnant by your wedding day. Damn, it's a good thing you got the dress with the empire waist."

She groaned and slumped back in her chair. "I know. That was one of the first things I thought of after I found out. Maybe I just knew, or something. I mean, I really liked that mermaid fit one, but something just told me to go with the one I got."

I shrugged. "Sometimes you just know."

"There was something else I wanted to talk about," she said.

"Hit me."

"How would you feel about being his or her godmother?"

I beamed at her. "I would love that, Ang."

* * *

I know not a whole lot is happening, but these chapters are crucial to establishing other characters and events that will have bearing later on in the story. So, please bear with me through these next few chapters. Then, I promise, things will begin to get really good ;)

Next chapter we will quickly fast forward through days and then to Thanksgiving, which is bound to be interesting with so many different personalities.

As always, leave me your reviews, as they are really inspiring and greatly appreciated! I love to hear whatever you all have to say!

Until next time, guys.


	9. The One With Thanksgiving Pt 3

So, I may or may not have had a total fangirl freak out moment when I got the notification that Nolebucgrl put my story into her alerts. Her story First & Ten is my absolute favorite story of all time on here, so I highly recommend that you read it if you haven't already. There is also a sequel that I have yet to read, but plan to when I get the chance. Also, her story Sideline Collision is amazing. Just saying.

Anyway, here is chapter 8, this is the last of the gang's Thanksgiving holiday. We are getting closer to the big reveal! So this is one of the last boring chapters, so just stick with me. Things will start getting more interesting, I promise.

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT:**

 **BELLA POV**

On Tuesday, both of Emmett's parents worked, so Rose and I decided to go to the local zoo, since neither of us had been before. Emmett didn't want to go at first, making the excuse that he had gone many times when he was younger when his mother didn't know what to do with him. Rose eventually convinced him, promising that we could get ice cream, which Emmett usually cut from his diet because he was a strange human being. Rose typically kept him to his diet, but she was giving him the okay to let go for the day.

We spent the day at the zoo, watching the animals and goofing around like children. Emmett was determined to feed some birds, so he paid the five dollars to get bird feed and stand in a giant cage to have birds surround him and feed off of his body. It was a bit disturbing to see this very large grown man giggle as much as he did.

We had dinner at a seafood restaurant before heading back to Em's parents' house. We all decided to watch a movie, since it was still early. David and Elizabeth came home right before it started. David decided to sit and watch it with us while Elizabeth went to her study in order to do something pertaining to work. She mumbled something about research on her way out of the room, but I hadn't really been paying attention.

Wednesday, my parents got into town. They were staying in a hotel a few miles from the McCarty's house, so I met them there once they arrived.

"Bella, baby, it's so good to see you!" my mom exclaimed when she opened the door to their room. She flung her arms around me and crushed me to her chest. Renee Swan was a very touchy person, which was a breath of fresh air from spending the week with Elizabeth.

"Hi, mom," I greeted, my arms winding around her waist. "How was the drive?"

"Oh, it was fine. I hate leaving the car at the ferry port, though. No traffic or anything, thankfully." She released me from her grasp and let me into the room, closing the door behind me.

"That's good. Hey, dad." I greeted my father with a smile. He was lounging back in the bed, remote in his hand and a football game on TV. Probably a game from the weekend, considering it was Wednesday.

"Bells, how's your week been?" he asked. He stood from the bed to come over and give me a hug. His was brief, but I knew there was a lot of love behind it. Charlie was pretty much the exact opposite of his wife as far as expressing emotions go. It was probably why they worked together so well. Opposites attract, evidently.

"Good, went to the charity gala on Sunday, met with Angela on Monday for lunch. Visited the zoo with Rose and Emmett yesterday," I summarized. "Just a lot to keep us out of the house."

"Tell us all about the McCarty's on our way out," my mom said, pushing my dad and I toward the door. "That car service is here."

"What car service?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. My parents usually just take taxis when they're in Seattle.

"That one with the phone app," she said, showing me the text message she had received.

"You know what Uber is?" I asked. "That's really impressive."

"Bella, I'm only forty-three. I'm not a senior citizen."

"Mom, grandma Swan learned how to use her iPhone before you did."

Renee glared at me. "Just get your ass down to the car, Bella."

My dad chuckled at us, escorting us out the door.

* * *

During the drive to Pike Place Market, my mom grilled me more about my week so far, demanding details. I told her how lovely the gala had been, then more about my lunch with Angela. When I told her about my best friend's pregnancy, she squealed and vowed to start crocheting blankets. My mother loved babies and had made it no secret that she wanted grandchildren as soon as possible. Her and Esme seemed to be on the same page.

Renee was not surprised by everyone's dislike of Elizabeth McCarty. She said she had read articles about her that said she was an amazing doctor as far as diagnoses and treatments went, but she was apathetic and cold. I told her I had no idea what the exact conflict between Emmett and her was, but she seemed to hold her tongue on her husband's request.

We arrived at the market and spent several hours walking around and admiring the vendors. Renee bought several trinkets and Charlie bought small portions of food the entire time we were there. Come lunch time, he wasn't hungry, so my mom and I bought corn dogs and fries from a vendor instead of finding a restaurant to sit down at.

We walked around until about three in the afternoon before they were ready to call it a day. Rose had called me earlier asking to meet us all for dinner, David and Elizabeth included. I had agreed hesitantly, not knowing how well the night would go with Renee and Elizabeth together. My mother was a very eccentric, free spirit, and Emmett's mother was basically the exact opposite.

 _This should be interesting._

We arrived at the restaurant ten minutes before five, which was when we were supposed to all be here. Emmett and Rose were already here, sitting in the waiting area, waiting to be seated. They exchanged greetings with me parents, who they had met several times in the last three years. Emmett and my father were practically best friends, so it was always a good time when the two of them were together. At least it was if they're jokes weren't centered around me.

"Bella Boo!" Emmett exclaimed, folding me into his arms. All of the air rushed out of my lungs and I pounded on his back. He released me and patted me on the head. I glared at him and my dad as they both laughed.

The McCarty's arrived then, just in time for Elizabeth to have apparently seen Emmett crushing me in his arms. She shot him a look that would freeze hell over. Emmett took a step back from me and Rose found his hand. This gesture seemed to be a comfort thing they did, especially where Emmett's mother was involved. I had seen them do it several times over the years, but it had happened a lot more frequently over the last few days. His mother obviously stressed him out, which I understood completely. The woman was not pleasant to be around. I sincerely had no idea how David did it.

My parents quickly made introductions, Renee toning down her excitable tendencies around Elizabeth. I'm sure she could already see that the other woman was not someone who enjoyed people with Renee's type of personality.

Throughout dinner, Charlie and David made conversation about sports and fishing, which David seemed to know quite a bit about. Rose, Emmett, Renee and I spent time talking about school and how the semester was going so far. Renee asked about how Halloween went, since she knew it was one of my favorite holidays.

Emmett smirked at the mention of the night. "Bella seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit this year," he said. Rose laughed quietly as a blush rose to my face. "Didn't you, sweet cheeks?" Elizabeth was away from the table taking a call from the hospital, otherwise he wouldn't have used a nickname for me. Or we may not even be having this conversation.

"I always enjoy myself on Halloween, Emmett." I snarled his name at the end, threatening him in the only way that I could. I was silently begging him not to bring up Edward. My mom would just harass me about him until I basically told her where he lived, not that I actually knew that information. But Emmett certainly did.

"What exactly happened on Halloween?" Renee asked. She was smirking at me, probably knowing where Emmett was going with this. She was much too excited about me potentially having a significant other than any mother should be when her only daughter was in the midst of becoming a doctor. She didn't even care if it was a man; she'd be perfectly content with me dating Alice if that's what it came down to. My mother was not a picky woman.

"Bella met my very smart, very handsome, very eligible cousin," Emmett said, indulging Renee. I rolled my eyes. "They may or may not have danced together the entire night. And I may or may not have been told that he definitely has a thing for her."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?" I had not been told of this.

My mom squealed. "Oh, Bella! Why didn't you tell me about this boy!" She gave me a pointed look before turning back to Em. "What does he look like? How old is he? What does he do?"

Emmett answered all my mother's questions as Rose fiddled around on her phone, eventually showing Renee a picture of Edward from his instagram. She audibly gasped as she took Rose's phone from her hands and studied the photo.

"Baby! He's perfect! Go out with him," she urged. I was going to kill Emmett and Rosalie.

"Mom, I'm not going to go out with him," I told her. "I've only met him once and we were drunk basically the entire night. I doubt he even remembers much. I hardly remember the whole night." My mom was very aware of my alcohol consumption and she wasn't very strict about it, even when I was in high school. How she saw it, I was bound to drink anyway, so she'd rather it happen under her roof where she could monitor me than at some party where no one knew what could happen. Now that I was in college, she knew that I had friends that would watch out for me. She still didn't know about my other now-legal extracurricular activities, though.

"So?" she questioned. She handed Rose's phone back to her. "He's beautiful, he's a doctor, he's young. You might want to get that one while he's still available, Bella. He may not be for very long."

"He's pretty fresh on the market, too," Emmett said, looking at me. "He and Lauren, that chick from the party, just broke up four months ago after being together for a year. Time to swoop in Bella Boo."

"Yes! That's perfect," Renee agreed.

I just sat by quietly for the rest of dinner while Rose, Emmett and Renee discussed a strategy on how to get Edward and I together. Arguing would only make them meddle harder and I couldn't tell two-thirds of them why Edward and I being together was never going to happen. I'd just leave them to their wishful thinking.

* * *

The next day, my parents arrived at the McCarty's home early. My mom had told Elizabeth that she wasn't letting their cook do all of the work today, given it was Thanksgiving. The only thing Zafrina had done was the turkey, and that's because it had to be started several hours before my mother would get here. After my parents arrived, Zafrina was dismissed for the day, much to Elizabeth's chagrin.

Immediately, my mom got busy in the kitchen, employing Rose and me to help her. We made green bean casserole, candied yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin rolls for dessert. By the time the last thing was popped in the oven, the doorbell rang, signaling the Cullens' arrival.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Esme shouted as she entered the house. She set her eyes first on Rose and me where we were standing in the entryway to the kitchen. She gathered us both in one hug, effectively squashing us. "You two look beautiful, as always."

Rose and I both chuckled. "Thank you, Esme," I said. "Happy Thanksgiving."

Elizabeth descended from her room upstairs, where she had been sulking, I assumed, since my mother took over her kitchen. Renee wasn't holding back any of her spirit today. She was very into the holidays, and Thanksgiving was the beginning of them.

"Hello, Esme," she greeted, giving her sister a brief hug.

"It's good to actually see you, sister dear," Esme commented. "I didn't get to see you at the gala on Sunday."

"I was talking with a few of the benefactors of the hospital all night," Elizabeth said. "You know how they are."

"Of course," Esme nodded. The look on her face said that she wasn't buying it, though. I feel like Elizabeth had intentionally been avoiding Esme all night, and Esme probably knew that, as well.

"Honey, these pies need to get in the fridge," Carlisle said, sidling up alongside his wife.

He had stopped to greet his brother-in-law, who had been sitting on the couch, waiting out the commercials that were playing before the football game started. My dad had chosen to pass the time in the kitchen, where he was snacking on trail mix that had been set out. Renee continuously scolded him, telling him he was going to ruin his appetite. He always just grunted and continued to toss small handfuls into his mouth.

"Oh, yes, of course, dear," Esme acknowledged. Rose and I led Carlisle into the kitchen after he kissed both of us on the cheek in greeting.

Renee was checking the bird and the casseroles in the oven when we all entered. She looked up as she heard us entering, her constant smile painted on her face. When she saw Carlisle standing in the doorway, her eyes widened a bit.

"Dr. Cullen, what are you doing here?" she blurted, shutting the oven door quickly.

Carlisle chuckled as he showed himself to refrigerator, placing the two pumpkin pies on one of the shelves.

"Elizabeth is Esme's sister," he explained. "It's good to see you again, Mrs. Swan. It's been, what, ten years?"

"Carlisle, is that you?" I heard Charlie ask. He stood from the stool he was sitting on at the counter, a smile present under his greying moustache. "Son of a bitch, I haven't seen you in years."

Carlisle laughed some more. "How are you doing, Chief?" Carlisle and Charlie shared a brief hug, both of them smiling. I hadn't known, but they used to be really good friends before the Cullens moved to Seattle.

Carlisle and my dad caught up, talking about fishing and sports, as Renee and Esme introduced themselves to each other.

"Of all the times Bella was at the ER and our husbands went out together, I don't think we ever met," Renee said. "I'm Bella's mother, Renee."

"It's great to meet you, Renee. I'm Esme," the other woman said, gathering my mother into a hug that she would've probably initiated herself if Esme hadn't. They had very similar personalities, I realized very quickly. I was hoping they'd get along well, mostly to clear the environment of Elizabeth's bad attitude.

"Where's your boy?" I heard Charlie ask Carlisle.

I froze a little bit, realizing my mom and Esme were about to have even more ammunition for getting Edward and I together. I was hoping that no one was going to make mention of him, besides a passing comment about him having to work today. Apparently I wasn't going to get away that easily.

"Unfortunately, he had to work today," Carlisle answered. "He's only in his first year of residency in Oregon, so they work him pretty hard."

"So he became a doctor, too?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, of his own free will," Esme said, throwing a pointed look at her sister. Emmett had entered the kitchen a few moments ago, and he gave a small smile to his aunt. It was good to know that the rest of his family was on his side, not just his father.

"Edward has always wanted to be a doctor, even after we told him that he could do whatever he wanted with his life. It's just the type of person he is. Always trying to help people."

"Oh!" my mom gasped, and I knew she had connected the dots. I winced when she turned to me. "This is the Edward you spent Halloween with, Bella!"

I grimaced as Rose and Emmett laughed, enjoying my discomfort.

 _Some friends they are._

"Uh, yeah, it is," I mumbled, trying my hardest to not look at any of the parents in the room. I hadn't told Esme and Carlisle that I actually knew their son more than just from Emmett. No one in this room beside Rose truly knew where I had met Edward. But that was beside the point.

"See, Carlisle, I'm not meddling if they've already spent time together," Esme pouted. Apparently my and Edward's involvement had been discussed more than just the few comments at the gala on Sunday.

"Edward seems like a lovely young man," Renee told Esme, beaming. "He and Bella spent some of Halloween together."

"That's fabulous!" Esme exclaimed. "I'll have him call you, dear." She was addressing me now. I went to tell her it was not necessary, but she cut me off. "You guys can talk about how he did in medical school and his experiences. It'll be very educational for you." The glint in her eye told me that my education was the last thing on her mind.

I held back a groan. "Thank you, Esme."

Before any more conversation about Edward could happen, the timer on the oven beeped, and I silently thanked the inanimate object.

Renee and Esme bustled around, setting the side dishes out in a line on the counter while David cut the turkey. Rose, Emmett and I set the table while the adults starting pouring wine. I saw Elizabeth glower a little when Esme poured some at the place where I was sitting after asking my mother if it was okay that I have some.

"Looks like more people than just Esme are trying to get you and Edward together," Rose said, talking lowly so no one beside Emmett and I would hear.

I rolled my eyes. "I wish I could tell them all why it's never going to happen, just to stop them from the trouble."

"Why is it never going to happen?" Emmett asked. Rose and I froze, realizing Emmett was actually here, too.

 _Shit, think of something quick. Get it together, Bella. You're supposed to be smart!_

"Uh," I started, thinking of some bullshit excuse, "I'm just not looking for a relationship. The next few years are going to be hard, so I'm not going to have the extra energy for a relationship. Plus, your cousin is in his residency years. He doesn't have a lot of time either. It's just not practical."

My argument was true. If there was ever a time when I told Edward the truth, our life situations would definitely be another reason we were not going to be together. Having a boyfriend who was a first year resident was hard enough. Having a first year resident as a boyfriend while being in medical yourself was even harder.

"No one's telling you to marry the guy, B," Emmett said, shrugging. "Edward's a really nice guy." He gave me a small smile. "You should give him a chance. I wasn't lying when I said he was interested in you. He texted me a few days after Halloween and asked how well I knew you. Asked me for your number too, but I told him that was for you to give away."

I smiled at Emmett. "Thank you, I appreciate you not giving my number to your stranger cousin."

"Anything for you, Bella Boo!"

* * *

Dinner with Emmett's family and my family went surprisingly well, despite Elizabeth's presence. My parent's and Edward's parents spent the time catching up, and Renee and Esme got to know each other better. They even made plans to get together at some point and have lunch. They were going to become best friends, and I was going to have no choice but to date Edward, between their efforts. I was hoping they'd stop meddling, but I knew that wasn't going to happen.

David and I talked about medicine, and Elizabeth surprisingly opened up a little bit, giving me her input about good medical schools and programs. She was actually very insightful, which I appreciated because I knew she was being honest about her opinion. Elizabeth wasn't one to beat around the bush or hold back her true feelings.

We sat around the dinner table and talked for a couple hours before anyone even mentioned moving. When we did actually move, it was just to get up and get dessert. We all had a good time, which was great considering it was kind of an odd mixture of families and friends. It was honestly one of the best Thanksgivings I had, considering I didn't have a very big family and the holidays were usually pretty small. I could get used to this big family thing.

My parents, Rose, Emmett, and I left the next afternoon. We all had lunch together at a burger joint just outside of Seattle before we went our separate ways. The drive back to Portland was a little longer than the drive to Seattle at the beginning of the week. Lots of people we travelling today, plus there were several accidents on the way.

Rose and I had work tonight, so we were trying to get through the traffic as quickly as possible. During the prolonged ride, Rose drilled into me the reasons why it would be a good idea to get with Edward, which Emmett backed up every once in awhile. Evidently, Renee and Esme were not the only people I had to worry about trying to get involved with my nonexistent love life.

* * *

So, how did you guys like Charlie and Renee? I kept them together in this story because I didn't feel like dealing with the Arizona/Florida/Phil thing. But I hope you guys liked this chapter, even though it's pretty much just a filler chapter. The next chapter will be more toward Christmas time, and that's when things start getting interesting ;)

As always, please drop a review and tell me what you thought and what you'd like to see in future chapters. I am always open to suggestions.

Until next time, guys!


	10. The One With No Love

Things are about to get interesting, y'all. The beginning of this chapter is pretty boring, I'm not going to lie. But I promise it gets real interesting toward the end ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE:**

 **BELLA POV**

 _December 2015_

"Ow, Alice! You're gonna dislocate my shoulder!"

"Bella, I don't have time for your complaining! I have a plan to execute!" The evil little pixie tugged on my arm harder, eliciting a yelp from me.

"Al! I have to work tonight, please do not injure me! This is the only way I make money!" She was pulling very hard, and I actually had to have function in my arms to be able to do my job.

We were in a the mall right now, walking surprisingly fast for how crowded it was. There was two weeks until Christmas, and the whole population of Portland might have been here. It was a Friday, and Alice and I were done with classes for the day, so we were at the mall to do some shopping for gifts, but so was everyone else. Alice, being the type of person she is, had a plan for how we were going to navigate the crowded shops today, which would be working out fine if she wasn't maiming me in the process.

"Fine!" she huffed, dropping my arm. Her tiny but strong hand latched onto the strap of my purse and started tugging on that instead. It was an improvement, since there was no longer an imminent threat to my joints, but it still wasn't pleasant.

"We've got so much to do before you have to get to work today, Bella. You can't fall behind," she urged. Alice was determined to get all of our shopping done in this one trip. I didn't doubt that she'd be able to do it, but I just didn't want to be along for the ride. She was much too intense for me when she was on a mission.

I just groaned and picked up my pace, hoping she would stop tugging on me if I kept up with her. The tugging lessened, but it definitely didn't stop, but I would take anything that I could get at this point. We had been at this for an hour already, and while I had gotten both Rose and Em's presents, I was not too keen to this fast pace shopping we were doing.

Alice allowed me to go off on my own to buy her present while she bought mine, but she was very adamant that we were to meet back in the food court when we were done so we could continue.

I trekked off to the shop that I needed to go to at my own pace, enjoying the release from Alice's tight grip. Once in the shop, I browsed around a bit, stopping to ask the employees questions about their products. I didn't know much about what I was getting Alice, beside the fact that I knew she would love it. Because of the nature of the present and the price tag on it, there weren't as many people in this store as there was in others. As I was holding a possible selection in my hands, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned to face the person, expecting it to be one of the employees who was helping me, but instead I was pulled into a tight hug, long, coconut-smelling hair assaulting my face. I held on tight to the device in my hand, very wary of the chunk it would take out of my wallet if I were to drop it. I couldn't even imagine paying that much for something that would be rendered useless.

"Bella dear!" the woman shouted in my ear. I winced slightly, hoping my hearing wasn't damaged. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hi, Esme, how are you?" I asked as she pulled away. She looked great as always in her grey peacoat and white infinity scarf. How this woman was nearly fifty and still looking like a woman in her early thirties was beyond me. If I looked half as good as she did at her age, I would be extremely content.

"I'm great, darling. Just visiting Edward for the weekend. He had the weekend off except for some meetings, so I figured I'd stay with him. I swear that boy hasn't had a real meal since he moved out." She rolled her eyes as my body tensed.

"Oh, is he here with you?" I wondered, trying to keep the apprehension out of my voice. This would be the least opportune time to have a run in with a client I would most likely be seeing in a few hours at the club.

"No, he has a meeting," she said, slightly pouting. "I figured I'd take the time to do some Christmas shopping. This mall is much less crowded than the one in Seattle."

I balked at the thought of being in a more crowded mall than this.

 _I hate shopping._

"Is Carlisle here, too?" I wondered, trying to get the subject even farther away from her son.

"No, he had a weekend conference in Massachusetts. That's another reason I came down here this weekend. I hate being alone in our house during the holidays." She sighed wistfully, probably remembering the times that she's spent alone. Being a doctor was never easy, especially on your family. Schedules were sometimes unpredictable and it was difficult to get the time off during holiday season. It was one of the most busy times at hospitals.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, honey?" she asked, a smile now gracing her face. "Besides, shopping, I mean." She chuckled.

"I'm here with my friend Alice," I said. "She has it in her head that she can get all our Christmas shopping done in one day." I rolled my eyes and Esme giggled. "She probably can, but at the expense of my physical well-being."  
"She's a bit aggressive, I take it?" Esme asked.

"'A bit' is an understatement. I'm shopping for her present right now, and she's shopping for mine, otherwise she'd have a death grip on my purse strap."

"Well, maybe I can help, since you seem a little lost." She gestured to the object in my hand. "What type of work is she doing."

I described Alice's interests and the type of work she did inside and outside of school. Esme had me put down the one that I was holding and searched the store for something she had in mind. When she picked it up, she started describing the different features to me, and she sounded a lot more sure of herself than the employee who had been helping me earlier had sounded. The price tag on this one was even a bit cheaper than the other one, which Esme assured me didn't matter. She herself used this particular model in her own career, which was very similar to what Alice had her sights set on.

After I purchased the gift, the employee informed me that they could ship it in discreet packaging to my home, which I took them up on. I wasn't sure how I was going to hide this very obvious present from Alice when we met back up at the food court.

"Well, I'll leave you to get back to your friend now, sweetie," Esme said as we exited the shop. "I have some shopping to finish as well. I hope she doesn't hurt you too badly." She laughed at the grimace on my face.

I was dreading the next couple hours. I only had my parents left to shop for, so hopefully we could get out of her relatively quickly.

"It was good seeing you, Esme." I gave her a hug, which she was obviously excited that I initiated. She beamed as we stepped away from each other. Esme was an easy person to please, as long as you weren't her sister. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend."

"Should I tell Edward you said hi?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. I didn't even want to know what she was thinking.

"No, that won't be necessary, Esme," I told her.

 _I'd be seeing him tonight._

* * *

As sure as the sky is blue, Edward walked into the club around ten that night. I was doing a set on stage when he first came in, so he took up a seat at the bar, ordering a glass of bourbon on the rocks while his eyes stayed trained on me. I locked my eyes with his when I wasn't busy trying not to fall off of the pole. He shot me a playful wink over the glass that was pressed to his lips. He licked them after he swallowed what was in his mouth, his eyes roaming my body,

I always felt more sexy with his eyes on me. Despite all the men paying attention to me at any given point in the night, Edward's was always the most important. Even though we had been getting to know each other on a more personal level over the last couple months, I still craved him in the most basic, instinctual way, and I had to suppress those feelings every time we were around each other.

 _You can't start anything with him, Bella. It won't go anywhere good._

I hated it, but I knew I had to listen to my rational inner voice. The other side was more frivolous, and it definitely wanted me to do more than dance on Edward during our private sessions. He was still a perfect gentleman every time we were together, always keeping his hands to himself and talking to me like we were friends instead of dancer and customer. The more irrational side of my inner monologue, the side that wanted Edward more than I had ever wanted another human being, wanted him to forget about the club's rules and put his hands on me. The only time I had ever had his hands on my skin was Halloween, and that was a month and a half ago.

Even though we were both intoxicated, I remembered the way his hands felt on my body. I could feel the warmth of his skin through the material of my costume. And I remember the way his neck felt against my tongue, the taste of his body present with the salt that I had licked off of him. Our lips had brushed against each other's when I had taken the lime from his mouth. I craved to have that with him again, and probably more.

 _Definitely more. So. Much. More._

When I was done with my set, I gathered the money of the stage, shoving it into the garter belt of my outfit. Since it was December, the club was in a festive mood, christmas lights had been hung around the bar and doorways, fresh fake snow was placed on the stage before every set. The girls and I had been wearing Christmas-esque outfits for every shift. Today I had on a red lingerie set, complete with a garter belt and red fishnets with bows in the sides. I had started off the night with santa hat on, but it had to come off when I took my place on the pole.

Edward met me at the bottom of the stairs that led down from the stage. I took his hand in mine, not saying a word as I led him to an empty room. We did this same thing every weekend he came in, going straight back to the room without saying a word until we were back there.

"How was your week, Edward?" I asked, closing the door after us. He sat in the chair in the center of the room.

"It was fine, Bambi," he responded, his voice sounding oddly tight. I raised my eyebrow. "It was just a little stressful. I was in the ER most shifts, and there were a lot of people coming in. The holidays bring a lot of injuries. I also had a meeting with the chief of the hospital today."

"Well, that's what I'm here for, Edward," I told him, straddling his lap.

 _Too bad we aren't naked._

 _Oh my God, stop._

"It's time to get some liquor in you, then you just watch me dance, talk about it if you want, or just sit back silently if you don't want." I put my hands in his hair, lightly tugging and smirked when I heard him growl. "Just relax."

"Easier said than done," he mumbled, his eyes trained to where my hips were moving over his.

"How so?" I asked at the same time he said, "I came here to talk to you."

I cocked my head to the side. "What about, Edward?"

He closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing. I wanted to reach up and smooth it out, but I didn't for fear of crossing some intimate boundary that I really wanted to cross. His own hands moved to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"I can't come in here anymore," he mumbled, eyes still closed.

I stilled my movements on top of him, dropping my hands from his hair to his shoulders. More neutral territory.

 _He's leaving me?_

"Why not?" I asked, sounding more like a petulant child than the adult that I was, although I was a very young adult. "Did I do something wrong?" I had been careful to maintain a professional relationship with him, even though my body and my subconscious wanted more, but it was possible that I had crossed into dangerous territory at some point on accident.

"No, no. You haven't done anything wrong," he said, his eyes popping open. He placed his hands on my shoulders, a sad look in his eyes. He jumped and pulled his hands off of me, placing them in his hair instead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." It was the first time he had done anything but hold my hand, and even I had initiated that. "If anything, I've done something wrong."

"Edward, it's not the end of the world if you touch my shoulders," I assured him. "The 'no touching' rule is there for perverts who want to assault us. You're definitely not one of them." I rolled my eyes. Stupid pervs, ruining it for everybody.

"No, that's not what I'm talking about, Bambi," he said, shaking his head. He released his amazing hair from his grasp, leaving the locks looking even more crazy and sexy than before.

"Then what is it?" I asked. I furrowed my eyebrows, very confused. What could possibly make him decide against coming in every weekend?

"I just…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I've done something I'm not very proud of, and I'm lying to people close to me. I'm not that person."

"Then tell them you go to a strip club on the weekends," I told him. "You're not a bad person for coming here, Edward. People are a lot more accepting of the sex work industry than they were before." Plus, knowing his mother's attitude, she would probably just ask if she could join him at some point.

"It's more complicated than that, Bambi," he said, shaking his head. "I just can't come in anymore. I'm sorry. I'll pay you for tonight, but I won't be seeing you again." He placed his hands on my shoulders, gently lifting my from my place in his lap. I stood, letting him rise from his place. He stood still, looking unsure of himself before he leaned in, pressing his lips to my cheek softly.

He handed me a stack of six hundred dollar bills, like always. His eyes looked extremely sad when they met mine. I took my bottom lip into my mouth, trying to stop it from quivering.

I didn't want him to go, but it wasn't my place to ask him to stay. I had no ties to him, other than him being my customer. I enjoyed our time together, though. I always looked forward to it during the week. And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't liked to get to know him better.

"I hope you have a good life," he said. With that, he strode toward the door. My eyes were on his ass the entire time.

 _A girl can't help herself._

* * *

That weekend passed by in a blur. I may or may not have cried when I told Rose and Alice that Edward had left me. I wasn't really sure why I cried, since I only had a small crush on him and I really hadn't known him all that well. All we really talked about was his work, which wasn't exactly personal. I blamed the emotions on my impending period.

 _PMS is a bitch._

We spent Sunday having a movie marathon. We were all pretty into 80's movies, so Rose, Emmett, Alice and I got comfy and played all the ones that were on Netflix and one DVDs we owned. First up was Pretty in Pink, which happened to be Alice's favorite. Dinner that night was copious amounts of popcorn and the occasional spoonful of ice cream. I'd definitely classify this as a girl's night if Em wasn't here.

After Pretty in Pink ended, Rose popped in Sixteen Candles, so I guess this had kind of turned into a Molly Ringwald marathon. Once that movie had ended, we of course watched The BReakfast Club, because it wasn't the 80's without those five kids in Saturday detention.

Once we'd gotten Molly out of our system, I got to watch my favorite: Can't Buy Me Love. I had a serious obsession with Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy, and my obsession extended into Patrick Dempsey's other roles. Young Patrick was just as adorably dorky as older, rugged Patrick. I couldn't get enough of him.

It was late by the time the movie was over, so we decided to call it a night. I stayed up until about three in the morning doing some work for my physiology class. For our final, we had a project due instead of a test, which I was somewhat thankful for. It saved me hours of studying, but it also took me a lot of time to get all of my project together. I was technically done with it, but I was just making sure everything was absolutely perfect. This week was finals week, and my project was due Wednesday morning. I had a near perfect grade in the class and I couldn't let it slip the last day.

The next day I had my test for my writing class, which was actually just an essay on the correlation of motifs in Macbeth and King Henry IV. I chose the women in the plays, since I had written a similar essay in my senior year of high school. I rolled my eyes visibly when the professor handed out the prompt at the beginning of the period. I had the essay written in an hour and a half, and I spent another fifteen minutes going through it to correct spelling and grammar. I knew it was fine as far as content went, so I handed it in and went to the library. I had my physics test in a couple hours, so I was cramming in some last minute studying, as if I hadn't been studying everyday for the last two weeks.

I grabbed some quick lunch before my test, hoping to not get hungry while I was sitting in class. Being hungry made it difficult for me to focus on tasks, especially boring tests. I had gone through finals week enough times now that I knew my downfalls and bad habits. I had mostly smoothed those out by now.

My physics test passed by in a flash. Considering how much a genuinely hated math, I was pretty good at it. The only reason I am even taking math classes is because I need them to graduate, and I need higher level ones to get into medical school. Which, I didn't quite understand, considering simple math was the only thing we needed to determine dosage of medications. Whatever, I was done with math after this semester.

I returned back to the apartment at around two that afternoon. I hopped on my laptop quickly, emailing my physiology professor to ask him if I could submit my project tomorrow instead of Wednesday. It wasn't like I had to actually give a presentation or anything. It was just a folder full of information we had learned over the semester assembled into a children's book, which seemed pretty elementary to me, but I wasn't going to complain. It made for an easy final grade.

He emailed me back about an hour later, agreeing to let me turn it into his office at any point before Wednesday afternoon. He admitted that the only real reason he made the due date Wednesday was to let the procrastinators get it all put together and turned in.

Tuesday, I got up and quickly got dressed. I planned to just go turn in my project and then come back to the apartment and watch Netflix all day. I was going to be the only one here for a while, considering Alice and Rose had finals and Emmett was at work. Alice was also going out with her study group tonight to celebrate as their finals were done today. Rose was going to be out tonight, doing some studying for her last final with a group of people in her law classes. It would just be Emmett and me for dinner tonight, so I was planning to make his favorite: chicken noodle soup.

Emmett had informed me of his unhealthy obsession with the soup when he first moved in with us. I had made it one of the first nights he was here, and he had nearly stolen the whole pot from the stove and took it for himself. He admitted his mother had made it as a comfort food and it was one of the only dishes she ever made herself. Otherwise, their housekeeper/cook, Zafrina, made all other meals. He begged me to make it once the weather began to get cooler, stating mine was even better than his mother's.

After I dropped off my project in my professor's office and bid him a Merry Christmas, I made a trip to the grocery store. I gathered the ingredients I would need for dinner. There was still several hours until I would need to start it, but I figured I may as well stop and do the shopping since I was already out.

Once I got back, I settled in on the couch and began a Netflix marathon, watching Grey's Anatomy from season one. I had already watched all the episodes, and I was currently waiting for the season to come back on TV, but I was missing McDreamy, so I decided rewatching the entire series was a good idea.

I was six episodes into season one when Rose came home, finished with her second to last final.

"How'd it go?" I asked her as she shed her coat and dropped her bag on the floor.

She groaned. "I aced it, I know that, but now I can stress about tomorrow's test," she said. She rushed off to her room and came back with her laptop and a very thick textbook. "I've been able to put it off to worry about other things, but now it's the only thing to worry about. I'm going to develop high blood pressure."

I rolled my eyes. "You can't get high blood pressure from a week of stress, Rose."

"I don't need your medical opinion," she snapped. "I just want friendly sympathy."

"Oh, I'll sympathize with you," I told her. "I just can't let you think your health is going to be compromised from this one test." I beamed at her and she huffed, but a small smile formed on her painted lips.

"Thanks, B, can always count on you to bring me back down to earth," she said. "Even when I don't want it."

"Anytime," I said. She laughed as she shrugged her coat back on.

"Em just texted me saying he was off work in an hour, so you might want to start on dinner." She pulled her bag onto her shoulder, placing her laptop inside of it. "He may be upset if it's not at least started when he gets here."

"Will do." I gave her a salute. "Don't study too hard. Remember to eat."

"Thanks, mom." She rolled her eyes. "See you tomorrow."

When the door closed behind her, I huffed and threw my blanket off of me. I had been very cozy on the couch for several hours, and I had only gotten up to go pee and make myself cereal for lunch. I was upset to have to get out of my little cocoon, but I knew dinner had to be made.

I set the chicken broth onto the stove so it could heat up while I shredded chicken. I had just bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I absolutely hated boiling chicken, so I avoided it at all costs. I'd rather pay the five bucks for a premade chicken than have to cook raw chicken.

Once I was done shredding, a took a break to finish my episode of Grey's, since it would still be a while before Em was home and it wouldn't take long for everything to heat up once it was in the pot.

Just before the episode ended, Em walked in the door.

"Is that chicken broth I smell?" he bellowed, slamming the door behind him.

"It is, my dear," I told him, smirking at him over my shoulder. He came over and hugged my shoulders from behind the couch.

"You're the best, Bells!" he shouted. "I love you almost as much as I love Rosie."

"I couldn't ask for more than that." I laughed and hopped up off the couch. "I just have to chop the vegetables and put them in the pot to let them cook. It shouldn't be more than half an hour or so."

Emmett took my place on the couch, pushing play on the next episode of the show. Along with his weird thing with home improvement shows, he also enjoyed the shows that I watched on TV, and he had no qualms about it. He sat down with me whenever there was new episodes on each week. He was definitely my show watching buddy.

I successfully cut up all the celery and threw them into the pot. I began on the carrots, and my mind wandered to Edward, as it usually does when I get a chance to let my mind wander.

Images of his perfectly imperfect hair and remembering how it felt in my fingers flooded my head, making me kind of swoon. I was content in my little Edward induced haze when an immense pain filled my left hand. I gasped and the knife dropped out of my hand, into the sink next to me.

Looking down, I saw the blood beginning to drop onto the cutting board. My first priority was to move the carrots out of the way, so they wouldn't be contaminated by the blood. I quickly grabbed a towel from the counter and wrapped it around my thumb, trying to stop the bleeding. The shock from the initial realization that I basically chopped my finger in half began to subside, and the pain associated with said wound started to hit me.

"Shit, fuck, mother fucker!" I shouted. The blood started to seep through the towel, so I wrapped more of the material around my injured digit. This was going to need stitches.

"Shit, Bells, are you alright?" Emmett shouted. He hopped up off the couch and ran to me.

"Yeah, just nearly cut my finger off," I griped. "I'm perfectly fine, though."

"Now's not the time for sarcasm, Bella!" he shouted. He grabbed his keys and wallet off the of the kitchen counter and slipped his shoes on. He brought my mocassin slippers to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice strained. My coping mechanism for pain was to hold my breath, so I was trying to do that and talk to Emmett at the same time.

"You're bleeding through the towel," he observed, pointing to where the thicker wrapping was showing signs of blood. "You're going to need stitches, and unless you have the means to do that here, you're going to the ER."

I groaned and slipped my feet into the slippers. I grabbed my purse and Emmett was kind enough to grab my jacket for me. I wasn't going to be able to put it on right now, but it would be nice once I got out of the ER.

"I thought I was done with trips to the ER," I grumbled once inside Emmett's car. I pouted, dreading being back in the hospital for my own clumsiness.

 _Technically, it was all Edward's fault._

"How did you even cut yourself? You're usually pretty decent with a knife."

"I was daydreaming and wasn't really paying attention," I admitted. Hopefully he wouldn't ask what I was daydreaming about. "Evidently I can't do those two things at the same time."

He shook his head and chuckled at me. "Get it together, B."

I flipped him off with my uninjured hand.

* * *

We arrived at the ER a short five minutes later, thanks to Emmett's unsafe driving. He was lucky it was a Tuesday and police weren't patrolling that heavily tonight. Good thing, too, because this bleeding wasn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon.

Em dropped me off at the doors so I could get myself signed in while he found a place to park. I walked to the check in desk. The guy at the desk nearly asked me what I was here for, but then he noticed me cradling my left hand to my chest and the blood soaked towel wrapped around it. He quickly jumped up and came around to the front of the desk.

"Have a seat," he instructed, pointing to the closest empty chair. "Let me look for an empty room."

I sat where he had indicated, next to a woman with her obviously sick child in her lap. I felt bad for the poor guy, having to wait to get some antibiotics. He looked like he had a sinus or upper respiratory infection by the copious amounts of yellow colored snot coming out of his knows. He was tough, though, only whimpering a little when whatever was happening to his body was definitely not pleasant. I would be acting like a little bitch if I was as bad as he was.

As it was, I was being a bitch, tears, slowly dripping from my eyes. The pain hadn't subsided at all, and I didn't want to know what my thumb looked like under the towel. I hadn't gotten a good look at it when I first saw the blood, so I wasn't sure how deep I had gotten it. I had to have done some serious damage, by the amount of bleeding that was going on, though.

Emmett joined me just as the guy came back.

"There's an empty room over here, ma'am," he said. Emmett grabbed me by the arm, helping me to stand, and we followed the man to an empty bed with curtains on three sides. I sat on the bed and the man handed Emmett a clipboard that my information would have to go on.

"A nurse will be in here shortly to do damage control and then a doctor will be in to fix you up."

I thanked him and he exited, closing the curtain behind him.

Emmett silently started filling out my chart for me, only asking questions when he didn't know the answer.

"Uh, last menstrual period?" he asked, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Whatever three weeks ago was," I said. According to my birth control, I was due for my next one in three days. Thank god for the magic pill.

He quickly wrote it down and the curtain to the makeshift room opened, revealing a smiling man, probably in his mid-twenties.

"Hi, I'm Seth," he introduced. He closed the curtain behind him and sat down on the stool that was near the bed. "What happened here?"

"She had a fight with a kitchen knife," Emmett said, chuckling to himself as he continued to fill out my chart.

I rolled my eyes. "I obviously didn't win."

Seth laughed. "Well, let me take a look." He gingerly took my left hand in both of his. "There's a lot of bleeding. You must have gotten yourself pretty good." He grabbed some pads of gauze from a nearby table and began unwrapping the towel.

As soon as my finger was exposed, more blood began seeping from it, pooling into the already soaked towel. Seth pressed the gauze to it, trying to better clean the mess that was my thumb.

"You're not squeamish, are you?" he asked me, a little too late.

"No, I'm going to be a surgeon," I told him, laughing a little.

"Impressive," he said, making a face that showed his sentiment. "Where are you going to school. He began packing gauze onto the open wound, trying to control the bleeding as best he could. Em was right; I was going to need several stitches.

"PSU for undergrad right now," I responded, watching him go to work. "I'm a junior, but I'm looking for medical schools to apply to right now."

"Well, I'm probably biased, but I'd definitely recommend this fine establishment," he joked. "OHSU is a great school, or so I've heard. I obviously didn't go here for school, being a nurse, and all."

I blanched at his mention of OHSU.

 _This is where Edward works. Please don't be working today._

"Some of my doctor friends went here for school, though," he continued, not noticing my distress. Or he was just confusing it for the distress that was associated with my gaping wound. "They say it's rigorous, but they definitely get a lot out of it."

"I have been considering it," I nodded, trying to maintain casual conversation. Internally, I was freaking out about Edward. This is not how I wanted him to find out about my double life. Plus, he had just dumped the other me a few days ago.

Seth packed as much gauze as he could, then he wrapped more around my thumb before taping it all up. "That should hold you over until the doctor gets in here to clean you up and stitch you back together. Do you want any aspirin or anything for the pain?"

I shook my head. "I'm good, it's not too bad."

He smiled. "Alright, just touch the button on the side of your bed if you need anything or you start bleeding too heavily through the gauze." He turned to Emmett. "Just drop that off at the front desk when you're done."

Emmett shot him a thumbs up as Seth left.

"Hey, maybe Ed is working tonight," Em said, brightening up. He had been rather serious since he got here, besides his fight joke toward Seth. "I mean, he probably is. He basically lives at this hospital."

I shrugged, trying to remain my nonchalant outward appearance. "Maybe."

I was trying not to freak out, because this was a big hospital, and residents tended to hop around from specialty to specialty, especially the first year, in order to get a feel for all fields. What were the actual chances of Edward being on the ER shift tonight of all nights?

"So, Bella, are you pregnant?" Emmett asked, mirth present in his eyes.

I rolled mine. "That would imply that I've had sex recently. I haven't seen any type of action since senior year of high school."

"Well, isn't this quite the conversation to walk in on," a very familiar voice said, chilling me down to my bones. I stopped breathing, the air getting stuck in my throat.

 _Well, fuck me sideways. Please._

* * *

Who could it possibly be? ;D We get to see hot Docward next chapter, which should be up tomorrow or Tuesday. Expect another at least two chapters this week. I was even going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but I figured you guys deserved to finally get more Edward.

How do you feel about him leaving Bambi? What do you think was going on in his mind that made him do so? Leave me your reviews telling me what you think. They are always appreciated :)

(Also, sidenote, my favorite author left a review last chapter and I may have done a giddy squeal. For real, please go read First & Ten if you haven't already. It's a couple years old, but it's still so freaking good. And it's nice and long, and beautifully written. Just go do it. I promise you won't regret it. I've been obsessing over it for years.)

Until next time, lovelies!


	11. The One With the ER

**CHAPTER TEN:**

 **BELLA POV**

"Ed! You are here tonight!" Emmett hopped up and hugged his cousin, who returned it as he laughed.

He looked so fucking good in his dark blue scrubs and white lab coat. His name was embroidered on the front, a pen in his breast pocket. His hair, as usual, was a disheveled mess, but still fuckhot. I probably would have licked my lips if I weren't experiencing an immense amount of panic.

"I am. I pretty much never leave this place." Edward's gaze shifted from Emmett to me, scanning my face before focusing in on my thumb. Apparently, he didn't recognize me from Halloween, although, I had been wearing a mask all night and he was slightly intoxicated for a good majority of it.

He took the chart from Emmett's hands as he sat in the stool Seth had once occupied, and I wished so much that it was him here now instead of Edward. My heartbeat was pounding in my chest and my right knee was bouncing, which was an involuntary nervous habit of mine. I was having trouble breathing, the breaths seeming like they were doing nothing to supply my body with the oxygen it needed.

"What do we have here…" he trailed off, looked at the chart for my name, "Isabella?" He paused for a second, his eyebrows shooting up. He looked back up at me, his eyes wide. "Bella? Oh shit, I didn't recognize you."

"It's good to see you again, Edward," I muttered, surprised I was able to get that much out. The tightness in my chest was making it pretty hard to breath, let alone speak. I might end up passing out.

 _Good, then maybe he can give you mouth to mouth._

 _Oh my god, that's not how that works._

"Yeah, likewise," he sighed, his eyes searching my face. "You look different without a mask on."

Emmett stood from where he was sitting and mumbled something about finding a vending machine since I had ruined dinner. I would have glared at him if Edward's eyes weren't holding mine intently.

Edward shook his head, blinking hard. "What did you do to your thumb?" he asked. He set the clipboard down and cradled my hand in his. He began undoing the patchwork that Seth had created as I answered.

"I was chopping vegetables and got a little carried away," I explained. I couldn't find it in me to joke with Edward like I had with Seth. My impending mental breakdown probably had something to do with that.

Edward finally exposed the wound, which had slowed in bleeding, but was definitely still not stopping. He pulled a cart with a suture kit closer to him, resting my hand on it. He tossed the soiled gauze away before grabbing a fresh stack. He soaked up the blood as it flowed from my thumb, inspecting the damage I'd done.

"Well, you don't seem to have damaged any tendons or anything," he said. He pulled a pair of glasses from his breast pocket and slid them onto his face.

 _God damn, he looks so fucking hot in glasses. Like a sexy nerd._

"Yeah, I don't see anything but muscle and skin here," he confirmed. "You must have a pretty good set of knives, because this is a pretty clean cut. Almost looks like it was made with a scalpel."

"I cook a lot," I blurted, for some unknown reason. I apparently lost the 'intelligence' filter when I was around Edward unexpectedly. "Rose and Emmett got a nice set for me last Christmas." There, that should clear that up.

"This could have been a lot harder to stitch up if they hadn't." He rolled around to grab a pair of gloves and looked at me over his shoulder. "You're not allergic to latex, right?"

I shook my head, fearing some other stupid thing might come out of my mouth if I tried to speak. He spun back around, gloves donned, and grabbed a vial and a syringe.

"I'm going to inject some lidocaine real quick just to numb the area." Edward wiped the area down with betadine before he began poking the needle into my skin all around the wound. Lidocaine worked quickly, so he wouldn't have to wait a long time for it to go numb.

He worked quickly, adding a line of six stitches to the area. The entire time, his left hand held onto mine as his right hand created perfect sutures. If I hadn't already swooned enough, I was now swooning at Edward's suturing skills, admiring how efficiently and effortlessly he executed each one. People in the medical field apparently get turned on by weird things. Or maybe that's just me.

When he had finished the last stitch, he dabbed the area with gauze, cleaning away the betadine and blood that had escaped while he was putting my skin back together. He wrapped the area in more gauze, much like Seth had the first time, except not so bulky. It was more to keep germs out than to keep blood in, now.

"Keep that wrapped for a couple hours, then let it air out, apply some antibacterial ointment and redress it," he instructed. He took his gloves off, and Emmett walked back into the little room, a cheese danish in his hand, half eaten. Edward was still in doctor mode. "Sleep with it dressed for a couple days, just so you don't accidently bump it and tear the sutures. After tomorrow, only put a bandage over it during the day, let it air every few hours. You should be able to take the stitches out in about a week."

"Bells is a pro at this stuff," Emmett said, waving his cousin off. "She's been in and out of ERs her whole life. She's had more than her fair share of stitches."

My face began to heat up at Emmett's words. Edward didn't need to know how clumsy I was, even though he knew how clumsy Bambi was.

"Then I'm assuming you'll be able to take them out yourself," Edward said. He reached into a drawer and handed me a sterile bag filled with small scissors and gauze pads. I had several of these in my house over the years. Like Emmett said, I was a pro at taking out stitches long before I even knew I wanted to be a doctor.

Edward stood, gathering the chart from where he had set it on the table next to me. "I hope to see you again soon, Bella. Hopefully outside of the ER." He beamed at me, switching from Dr. Cullen to the Edward I knew in a split second.

My blush deepened, and I didn't respond to his words, since I wasn't sure how to do so. I just hopped up off the bed, stumbling on my way down. Emmett's arm shot out and caught me by my bicep, keeping me from falling flat on my face to the floor.

"Careful there, Bells," he said, chuckling. He helped me right myself as he said, "I might have to start calling you Bambi again if you keep this up."

My heart may have actually stopped when he called me Bambi. I saw Edward stiffen out of the corner of my eye. His shoulders squared and became rigid. The muscle in his jaw flexed, making me want to lick it and hide under a rock at the same time.

 _Damn Emmett and his big mouth._

"I'll discharge you, just sign some papers at the front desk before you leave." Edward's voice sounded strained, like it did at the club on Friday. I hated hearing him like that, and I knew it was my fault this time. I needed to talk to him soon. "You're free to go."

Edward disappeared from the room, leaving the curtain open behind him. He hurried to the front desk, dropping the clipboard to the surface and saying something quickly to the guy that was there. He quickly signed some papers before hurrying off to another makeshift room.

He looked pissed off, and Emmett noticed it, too.

"What's got his panties in a bunch?" he wondered. I just shrugged. Emmett helped my into my jacket, which I hadn't been able to put on until now.

I quickly signed my discharge papers and left the ER with Emmett. I didn't see Edward before we left, so I made a mental note to get his number from Emmett so we could talk. I owed the poor guy an apology and an explanation. I needed time to get my frayed nerves under control, though.

 _Way to go, Bella. He learned the truth in the worst way possible._

* * *

 **EDWARD POV**

I had been in the ER for nearly two weeks now, and it was dragging by. Patients came in regularly, usually due to sickness or some holiday related injury. We were definitely busy, but nothing ever came in that could keep my interest for long. I spent a lot of time suturing or assessing symptoms and having my attending approve prescriptions. Everything was becoming mundane, and I craved for something exciting to happen.

I had just run to take a quick bathroom break, since my bladder had been calling for my attention for several hours. I was just exiting the bathroom and planned to go grab something to eat really quickly from a vending machine, when I heard my name being called.

"Cullen!" Clearwater shouted. I looked up to him, dreading what he was going to say next. I just wanted a five minute break. "There's a suture job on bed five. Pretty deep, bleeding a lot."

I groaned. I got assigned to lesions a lot, considering I could throw the best sutures of all the residents. Even though I had no intentions of becoming one, my dad was a surgeon, and I had spent many days practicing different techniques, just so I knew how to execute them properly when the time came. Apparently my time was my rotation in the ER.

"I'll be right there."

I looked longingly back at the vending machine. I had really been wanting a bag of potato chips, but it looked like those had to wait.

Just as I slid open the curtain to bed five, I heard a sweet voice say, "That would imply that I've had sex recently. I haven't seen any type of action since senior year of high school."

"Well, isn't this quite the conversation to walk in on," I commented, closing the curtain behind me. Being in such a crowded place, it wasn't uncommon to overhear strange conversations.

I saw Emmett sitting in the chair in the corner of the small room, and he jumped out of his chair, setting the chart he had in his hands down next to my patient.

He shouted his pleasure at me being in the hospital, which I seemingly never left. I told him so as I glanced to my patient, first taking in her very pretty face, then her bandaged thumb. I took the chart Emmett was holding out to me as scanned it to see that she had cut herself.

Sitting in the stool provided, I saw that her knee was bouncing and moved along quickly to calm her nerves. Hospitals weren't always everyone's favorite places to be.

"What do we have here…" my eyes flitted to the top of the chart to find her name, "Isabella?" My eyes had found hers, but they jumped back to the chart to make sure I had read her name correctly.

 _It couldn't be? She looked so much different._

"Bella? Oh shit, I didn't recognize you," I said in surprise. I berated myself briefly for cursing in front of a patient, but then I remembered that this was Bella, the girl from the Halloween party that had danced on me all night and licked salt off of my neck. Somehow, I think she was alright with my bad language.

Memories of Halloween hadn't left my mind since the morning after. I had never gotten a good look at her face because of the mask she had on, but I knew she was beautiful. Her body was warm and soft under my hands as I held onto her waist while we danced. Her tongue against my skin had been the most action I had seen since my breakup with Lauren, the thought of which made me cringe.

 _Fuck Lauren. There's a reason I dumped that evil parasite._

I had asked my cousin for Bella's number, but he had told me he wasn't going to give out her number when she didn't know about it. I had respected his reasoning, but that didn't stop me from thinking about her almost every day for nearly three months, now. I even thought about her when I went to the strip club. That was until I actually laid my eyes on Bambi, then all thoughts beside watching this woman dance for me and talk to me went out the window.

My head-and a little bit of my heart-hurt when I remembered what I had done this weekend. Somewhere in the last month or so, I realized I was developing actual feelings for Bambi, which was not okay on any level. She was a wonderful person, I knew this, but she was also a woman that was just doing her job. I knew she enjoyed talking to me as much as I did to her, she had told me as much, but I'm sure that's as far as it went. When I first went to the club, it had been as a stress reliever, especially with the interviews and meetings I was enduring every weekend.

But now the interviews and meetings had passed, for the most part, and I was still going in every Friday or Saturday. I craved the feeling of her hand in mine when she led us back to the private rooms. I wanted to hear her voice as she asked me questions and answered mine. Her body and her dancing was definitely enticing, but it was more than that. She was a kind person who I knew would do great things in the world. But I couldn't have her, and I was just torturing myself every weekend.

So, I chose Friday night as the day that I was cutting myself off. I had a long meeting about the residency program that day, and my first thought was to go to the club to see Bambi. On my way there, though, I realized how complicated I was making this for myself, so I came to a decision.

When I walked in, I had all intents of telling her that I had just came to say goodbye, but she was on stage when I entered, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I ordered a drink as she finished her set and waited. When she was finished, I met her just offstage, and she moved us to a room, just like always. I had let my true intentions of coming in slip as she was in my lap, tugging on my hair. It was an internal war with myself constantly over wanting to touch her and knowing I couldn't. The things she did to me were dangerous and amazing, but I had to let it go. I walked out that night feeling really shitty about not seeing her anymore, but also a little relieved that I wouldn't have to restrain myself.

My mother was still awake when I had gotten home that night. She made me a cup of herbal tea while she told me about her day, letting me know she had seen Bella there. Right after Thanksgiving, my mom had called me and told me about how she met Bella, first at the charity gala and then on Thanksgiving day. Rose and Emmett had taken her with them to my aunt and uncle's home for the week and her parents spent some time with them as well. I didn't know Bella's life story, but I knew from Emmett that she had grown up somewhere in Washington, apparently relatively close to Seattle.

My mind focused back in on the task at hand. I unwrapped the gauze to reveal a bleeding wound. I inspected it, ensuring that there wasn't anything other than minor muscular damage. I sewed it up quickly, trying to prevent more blood from escaping.

Emmett had left the room at some point, not really a big fan of blood and open wounds, but he returned as I was telling Bella how to take care of her sutures and dressing them and removing them. It was a pretty simple process, but I was liable if the instructions weren't given and someone came back with an infected wound and no knowledge of the instructions.

"Bells is a pro at this stuff," Emmett said, cheese danish in hand as he sat back in the chair he had occupied originally. "She's been in and out of ERs her whole life. She's had more than her fair share of stitches."

I reached into a nearby cabinet and provided her with a kit to take the sutures out. I stood from my chair and gathered the chart. "I hope to see you again soon, Bella. Hopefully outside the ER," I told her, smiling.

It was true. Now that I had stopped whatever it was that was going on with Bambi, I wanted to try to pursue something with Bella. She seemed very nice, and she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever met, especially now with her face bare and her hair in a natural state. She had a pink tinge to her cheeks, that I could only assume was from blushing.

Without saying anything, she hopped off of the exam table, stumbling on her way down. Emmett's arm shot out quicker than I could move, catching her bicep in his large hand. Years of football had evidently paid off.

"Careful there, Bells," he chuckled, standing her upright. "I might have to start calling you Bambi again if you keep this up."

At the mention of the name, my eyes shot to Bella's face. I studied her as she stared hard at Emmett, looking like she was in shock. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach as I actually looked at her.

My body was on edge as I realized the similarities between the girl in front of me and the girl I visited every weekend in the club. Same body shape, same chocolate hair, same round face. I'm sure I'd see those cute back dimples and beauty mark on her ass if she didn't have as much clothes on.

I felt my jaw flex as anger swelled up, replacing the surprise. How could she not tell me? We had met before. She had spent a week with my family, for Christ's sake. Who the hell was she, exactly?

I told her that I was going to discharge her and left the room. I couldn't deal with her right now. I was too angry and I needed to get my mind off of it before I did something stupid. I quickly moved onto another bed, wanting to think of anything besides this Bella/Bambi clusterfuck.

That didn't work so well, though, and I could barely focus on the little kid I was examining. I knew he had a sinus infection, but I still had to go through the motions of documenting each symptom. It was second nature to me at this point, so I couldn't exactly distract myself with it.

Instead, my mind was racing a hundred miles an hour with Bella/Bambi. I had spent three months getting to know this amazing beautiful and seductive woman in the club. She was more than her looks, too. She was incredibly intelligent, and I knew she would do well in whatever area she was planning on going into after college.

Then there was Bella, the mystery girl at the party who was one of my cousin's best friends. She was funny and sarcastic and could hold her own with the alcohol. She also made me forget about my indiscretions at the club, because she filled all of my mind for those few hours I was with her. I had been in a war in my head between her and Bambi for several weeks now. Turns out I didn't need to be worrying at all, seeing as they were the same person and all.

As the night wore on, my anger started to dissipate as I considered the situation. Bella was young and in college, trying to do anything she could to get by and live comfortably. I really didn't look down on those that entered sex work to help pay for expenses. It was easy cash, as far as I knew, and it was an easy enough business to get into.

I also knew that those girls purposefully used stage names to keep their personal and business lives separate, which I knew from the start was the case with Bambi. I couldn't really blame Bella for not telling me about her alter ego on Halloween. During one of our many nights at the club, she had confessed that she wasn't willing to share her future area of study because she didn't want to possibly be barred from entering the field. It was a sound reason for withholding information. Her not telling me that she was Bambi that night was the same thing.

On my way home that night, I realized I hadn't been so harsh with her when I first put it together. Sure, I was upset, but I hadn't taken even a split second to think about her version of things. I knew if I was a stripper, I definitely wouldn't be telling anybody about who I was, especially when my future was still so uncertain.

* * *

As I got ready for bed, I considered texting Emmett and asking for her number again, but I assumed I'd get the same response as last time. Instead, I planned to figure her out a little more so I could actually speak to her in person. I owed her an apology and I think we needed to talk.

I opened Rose's contact and sent her a message.

 _Hey Rose, got a sec?_

It took all of twenty seconds for her to respond.

 _Sure, make it quick tho. Studying for finals._

 _What is Bella doing tomorrow?_

Instead of a response, my phone began to ring, Rose's name popping up. I spit the toothpaste in my mouth out into the sink and answered. This had to be bad if she was calling me instead of just answering the text.

"Something tells me that she doesn't want to talk to you, Edward," she started. No greeting or anything. She was talking in a hushed voice, so I assumed she was in a quiet house or a library.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Well, when I got home she told me what happened at the hospital," she said. I had no doubt that Rosalie knew exactly what happened as soon as Bella had walked out of the ER. Those two seemed like they shared everything. "She's kinda beating herself up, and probably will for the next few days. She thinks you hate her."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I glanced at myself in the mirror. "What, why would she think that?"

"She said you did the jaw thing that guys do when they get angry," she said, as if that explained everything.

"Jaw thing?" I was slightly confused.

"Yeah, guys tend to clench their jaws when they're upset. We can see the muscle flex. It's pretty telltale."

I sighed. I knew I did that. I have since I was young. I couldn't help that all my tension went to that one muscle in my body.

"I mean, I was upset, but I was more shocked than anything. I just want to talk to her."

It was silent on the other end for several moments, and I thought maybe Rose had hung up, but the call was still going when I checked. I was about to say something, but she finally spoke up.

"Tomorrow the house will be empty. I have a final, Alice is going out with her parents all day, and Em has work. Come by at some point, and I can guarantee you Bella will be here with her ass glued to the couch and a Grey's Anatomy marathon playing on the TV." I chuckled at the image of Bella snuggled up on the couch watching that terrible show. "You guys can talk then."

"Thanks, Rose."

"I'd say anytime, but I'm not doing this for you. I just hate seeing her mope around like this."

I fell asleep that night trying to think of what I was going to say to Bella the next day.

* * *

So, Edward officially knows! It was how I envisioned him finding out since before the first word of this story was ever typed. I just knew I wanted to to be Emmett's loud mouth that gave the secret away unintentionally, even though he doesn't know it himself. It was fun hearing you all guess how Edward was going to find out, but no one ever guessed that it would be this way.

I hope you enjoyed, I know I certainly enjoyed writing it. I had this chapter done a few days ago, but waited to post it until today. The next chapter is already written as well, but you're going to have to wait until Thursday for that, unless you all can do some serious begging haha

As always, tell me your thoughts. I love to know what you guys think of the chapters and what happened. And I welcome any suggestions for what will happen in future chapters. Also, let me know how quickly you want to see a relationship between E & B develop. Some of you have told me you liked that their relationship wasn't rushed in this story, so I'm curious as to when you want to see things moved along. Let me know!

Until next time, lovelies!


	12. The One With Greys Anatomy

Because I love you all so much, and many of you did beg me, here is the next chapter.

There were a few things I wanted to address because a few of you asked or made comments in the reviews that I'm sure more than a few of you have questions or concerns about, and I'd rather cover them at the beginning of the chapter than at the end.

 **Firs** t, someone was confused as to why Edward hadn't recognized that Bella was Bambi and vice versa right away. No, they don't wear masks in the club, but Bella does a full face of makeup and uses it as her mask if someone from school comes in so they don't recognize her. The club is also dimly lit, even in the private rooms where she dances for him. In my experience, it's difficult to make out faces in dim rooms, even the faces of those that I've known for a while. So I hope that clears that up.

 **Second** , Emmett has no idea that Bella dances at the club. I thought I had made that clear, but someone asked, so I just figured I'd reiterate that here. He knows Rose dances there, but he thinks Bella works as a waitress. I explain that again in this chapter, actually.

 **Third** , someone was kind of shitting on Bella being a sex worker, which is the opposite of what I wanted people to get out of this story. I couldn't reply to them because it was a guest review, but they basically said that Bambi was getting paid to talk to Edward, which isn't a real relationship. And it isn't, but they were never in a relationship. I would describe them as work friends, at best. They also said that sex workers can lack moral fiber, which is not entirely true. People don't become sex workers because they're bad people. And if they're a shitty person, they're a shitty person despite sex work, not because of it. They typically do it because it's something they genuinely enjoy, and we're not really in a position to criticize them for that. And to answer their question: No, I would not care if my child's teacher or doctor was a sex worker before they started their new career. I wouldn't even care if they continued their sex work while educating or treating my child. Teachers get shitty pay. Something's gotta pay the bills.

I'd like to say that **I am not and never have been a sex worker** , and I will **never claim** to have that experience. I am, however, pro legalizing all voluntary sex work, and I have spent a lot of time listening to sex workers voice their opinions and views. **I will never speak for sex workers** because it is not my position to do so. I will never tell you that I know everything about the sex industry, or even that I know a fraction of what is in the sex industry. What is in this story is what I have gathered from sex workers that I know and follow on social media. And what I depict in this story is only the **most shallow understanding** of sex work. I will never delve deeper into the topic of the sex industry, because I cannot give you accurate information and I will never try to do so.

Sorry for that long as hell intro. I just had to say those things. Now, onto the story!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11**

 **BELLA POV**

I spent much of the next day lazing around in my underwear and an oversized sweater, tucked into the couch while I watched a Grey's marathon. I watched haphazardly as I made myself a cup of coffee. While I was waiting for it to brew, I took of my bandage around my thumb and let it see the light of day for a while.

Redressing it reminded me of when Edward's hands were doing the work, and it made me yearn for him. I knew I had made a stupid mistake and that I most likely wouldn't ever see him again, except for in passing. Unless he miraculously was still working at OHSU when I started my long five year residency, which was unlikely considering how talented and intelligent he was. He was likely to get hired on at somewhere like Mass General or John Hopkins as soon as his residency was over.

Once the gurgling of the coffee machine had stopped, I poured my cup and added my cream and sugar. Rose always teased me for still doctoring up my coffee, but I just couldn't stand to drink it black. I loved the taste of coffee as long as there was something in it to make it less bitter. When I didn't have much time, I just added sugar and called it a day, but I liked to add the perfect amount of cream and sugar when I had the time, like on the weekends or today.

I was officially done with my semester, as was Alice, whose parents were in town from Southern California. They were spending some time here until next week, when Alice would go home for Christmas. We were all going back home for Christmas, except for Rose, whose parents actually lived in Portland. We were coming back a few days after the holiday to celebrate with each other and party away the new year.

Once I had my cup of coffee, I nestled myself back into the couch and paid more attention to the episode that was playing. I had the house all to myself today, at least until Rose got done with her final. Her class didn't start until one this afternoon, but she had headed out to the library to fit in some more studying. Emmett had work today, as well as some time in at his internship, and Alice was out with her parents all day on some trip around Portland.

The episode finished and my stomach began to growl. I was craving eggs, but I was wary of making them after my debacle with the knife last night. It was difficult to grip things and I definitely needed my left hand to make scrambled eggs. I let the next episode begin as I got up to search my pantry for some semblance of food that I'd be able to make with minimal effort.

As I was beginning to reach up to grab a box of my favorite, most sugary cereal, the doorbell rang. Considering I wasn't expecting anyone, and it was nine a.m on a Wednesday morning. No one really even rang the doorbell on the weekends, so I was lost for who could possibly be at the door. Unless Rose forgot her key and needed something from out of the apartment.

I threw the door open, honestly expecting my beautiful blond friend, but I was faced with a well built chest that looked quite attractive in a black t-shirt. Looking up, I nearly slammed the door shut, but the look on his face made me think for a second before I made any rash decisions. His beautiful eyes looked a little sad, and the look on his face was not his usual joyful self or the sexy look I was used to seeing on it every weekend. He looked tired and a little distressed.

"Edward," I said, not really sure what else to say to him. Why was he in my building on a Wednesday morning? Emmett wasn't here, and I was pretty sure he didn't want to see me after what happened last night. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you and apologize," he said, his voice sounding as smooth and sexy as it usually did. He held up a bag of what looked like donuts. "I brought you breakfast, too. I figured you wouldn't be up to making anything with your hand like that." He looked down to where my thumb was uncovered, the area looking red and angry and quite swollen.

"Uh, thanks," I muttered. I opened the door wider, a breeze from outside making goosebumps form on my legs. It was then that I realized I was wearing only boy shorts and a knitted sweater, no pants or bra in sight. "Come in," I said. He closed the door behind him and shed his leather jacket, hanging it on the coat rack by the door.

"Um, I'll be right back," I said, making my way toward my bedroom. "I need to put pants on."

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," I heard him say. My step faltered a bit, realizing he was right, but I continued my path to my bedroom. I just grabbed a pair of leggings and tugged those on, not even bothering to put on a bra. It's not like you could really see anything anyways. I was pretty much swimming in this sweater.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Edward said as soon as I reemerged from the hallway.

"No, it's okay." I waved him off. "You're right. I just don't usually make a habit of walking around my house half naked with other people around."

 _Good, joking about it was good. Better than crying from embarrassment or not being able to talk at all._

"I wouldn't assume so," he said, a smirk quirking on his lips.

 _Oh, how I wanted to feel them against mine._

I shrugged my shoulders and gestured for him to sit on the couch. He placed the bag of donuts on the coffee table as he sat on the same couch where I had been bundled up, but at the other end. I resumed my position, facing more toward him since I was assuming he was going to talk. I knew I wanted to apologize for keeping the two parts of myself secret from him, but I also needed him to know my reason for doing so.

He opened the bag and handed me a chocolate old-fashioned, which was my favorite. I raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. "I called Rose this morning while I was in the donut shop."

I gave him a small smile. I was kind of touched that he had gone out of his way to find out what type of donut I actually liked. Most people just got a glazed, which was safe since most everybody was fine with glazed.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked when we had gone several moments with no one saying anything. I had continued to partially watch Grey's Anatomy, but I could feel Edward's eyes on me, so I couldn't really focus.

"I wanted to apologize for being so cold when I left last night, Bella," he said before taking a bite from his own custard filled. He chewed and swallowed before he continued. "I was shocked and I didn't really know what to say. Leaving the situation is my way of coping." H turned to face me, and I saw he had a dollop of custard on the right corner of his mouth.

"You've got something right here," I said, gesturing to the place on my own face. His tongue darted out to catch it, but he reached for the opposite side. I couldn't help but stare at his tongue, wishing to feel it on different parts of my body.

 _My neck, my lips, my stomach, my-_

"Did I get it?" he asked, breaking me from my line of inappropriate thoughts

I cleared my throat. "Uh, no, it's on the other side." His tongue reached out again, scooping up the cream. His thumb and forefinger wiped off the corners of his mouth.

 _Those fingers too. They were so long and dexterous. He'd be great at-_

I cut myself off that time.

 _Do not go there, Bella._

"Anyway," he continued, "I shouldn't have just walked out like that. But I think I needed some space to think."

"That's alright," I told him. "I'm glad you didn't say anything with Em there."

"Does he not know you work with Rose?" He looked surprised.

I shook my head. "No, he thinks I waitress at a fancy restaurant on the other side of the Willamette. Rose actually got me my job at Lucky Devil."

"And I'm assuming Bambi was one of your many nicknames, courtesy of Emmett?" He had an amused look on his face, his lips turned up in a suppressed smile.

"That would be correct," I said, rolling my eyes. "He said it was a mixture of my big brown eyes and my clumsiness." I still resented him for ever calling me that.

"What about Rose's name?"

"Em came up with it, but it was never anything he called her," I shrugged. "She had asked for his input when she was considering auditioning for the club."

"Emmett is pretty quick with nicknames. I can't even count how many different things he called me when we were growing up. I had braces and glasses for awhile. You can imagine how that went." Edward rolled his eyes. I imagined a little boy version of Edward, with his crazy bronze hair and coke bottle glasses and braces.

 _No wonder his teeth were so beautiful. Braces could do a person wonders. I can definitely attest to that._

"I'm sure you were still adorable," I commented, not really thinking before I spoke. _Again._

"Still?" he wondered, that same amused expression gracing his face. He raised one eyebrow, waiting for me to answer.

"I mean, I wouldn't really call you adorable now," I began. I had officially lost my filter. "More like ridiculously attractive, which I wouldn't call a child. But I'm sure you were cute in your little glasses as a kid. You were pretty fucking hot with them on last night, that's for sure."

Yep. Any semblance of dignity I had left after last night had officially left me in that moment. My face was burning, and I knew it was probably as red as a tomato. Damn my easily aroused capillaries.

Edward chuckled at my embarrassment.

 _I'm glad he finds this amusing._

"I'm glad you find me 'ridiculously attractive.' I could say the same about you." He beamed at me as I glanced at him.

 _He finds me attractive?_

It amazed me how much my personality could shift from when I was at work to when I was living my normal life. At the club, I was the center of attention, and I commanded it as a means to get paid. I was sure of myself and confident. Every move I made was lithe and calculated. Men drooled over me and threw money at me. I was the inspiration for their wet dreams, and I was unconcerned about it. In my personal life, though, I was still a little clumsy and I blushed at any little thing. I chewed my bottom lip when I was nervous or unsure of myself, which happened quite often. I balked at the idea of people finding me attractive, and I dressed to garner the least amount of attention possible.

My life was a conundrum, truly.

I apparently had been silent for far longer than I intended, because Edward started speaking again, his expression becoming more serious.

"After thinking for a while, I realized I didn't really get to be angry with you. I know why you kept it a secret. Hell, you're still keeping it a secret from Em. Although, I'm sure he hasn't randomly come into your work and asked for a dance from you."

I chuckled darkly. "No, he doesn't feel the need to see Rose while she's at work. Something about getting the full show while they're alone, anyway." I cringed at the thought of their sex life. Mostly I was jealous of it, but I wasn't going to tell anyone that.

"Gross," Edward mumbled, causing me to laugh. I sobered quickly, though.

"You have every right to be upset, Edward. I lied to you for months. We had a great time getting to know each other at the club, and I never lied to you about that stuff. But I had to do it to protect myself and my future career. I really did want to tell you, I just wasn't sure how. I didn't want to ruin anything at the club. But then you told me you weren't coming in anymore, and I couldn't see myself seeing you again as just Bella."

His brows furrowed. "You didn't want to see me again?" His voice sounded genuinely hurt and I rushed to sooth him.

I scooted closer and put my hands over his. I winced at the movement since I had stretched my wounded thumb in the process, but I continued without much fuss. "No, I did. I haven't really been able to sort out this situation, though. Between finals and work, I haven't had much time to think about any new possibilities after you said you weren't coming into the club anymore."

"How about we start over, then?" he suggested. He took my hand in his, running his thumb over the back of mine. He avoided my wounded hand, thankfully. I probably had to wrap it up again soon.

"Okay. I can do that," I agreed. "Let me wrap this up real quick." I moved to get up off the couch, but he held fast to my hand, pulling me back down.

"Allow me," he said. He walked to the kitchen, where I had left a pack of gauze and medical tape. He came back and placed my hand in his lap, quickly wrapping my thumb up.

"So, I'm Edward Cullen, I'm twenty-four, I'm a first year medical resident. I want to specialize in pediatrics, but I haven't fully committed yet. I spent the first thirteen years of my life in Forks, Washington, before I moved to Seattle when my dad accepted a job at a new hospital. I attended PSU after I turned fifteen, graduated from undergrad when I was nineteen. I graduated from medical school at OHSU in May and began my residency in June."

"You never told me you wanted to be in pediatrics," I said, kind of surprised. I loved children, he apparently loved children; it was a beautiful coincidence.

 _A man after my own heart._

"We both had our secrets," he joked. "What about you? What is Bella's story? I know Bambi's very censored story." He had kept my hand in his, also gathering my uninjured one to hold them together. His hands completely encompassed mine and they were warm, which was nice.

"Um, let's see. I'm Bella Swan, I'm twenty years old, I'm in my third year of my undergrad at PSU. I'm not really sure where I want to go for medical school, but I know I want to be a surgeon, but unsure of what field. I grew up in Forks, Washington, and the only time I left the state was to come to school. I work as a stripper named Bambi at Lucky Devil Lounge with Rose. I do it to pay for my rent and student loans." I paused, trying to think of something else to tell him. "I can't really think of anything else to say. I'm pretty boring."

"I don't think you're even a little bit boring, Bella. Quite the opposite, actually." He looked embarrassed for the first time since that night I had asked him if he was a genius. "I haven't really been able to stop thinking about you since we met.

"Yeah, Bambi tends to have that effect on people," I joked to try to hide my own embarrassment. A blush was slowly creeping up my face again, though, giving away my true feelings.

"I was talking about you, Bella," he said, squeezing my hands softly. "Ever since Halloween, the only time I didn't think about you was when I was at the club. Then I was just thinking about the other part of you." He gave me a smile. "So, I guess, technically, I haven't stopped thinking about you at all. Which hasn't exactly been a hardship." He chuckled, and the sound accompanied with his words made butterflies awaken in my stomach. I felt like a giddy teenager again.

"I don't really know what to say to that," I admitted. I had never had anyone tell me that they couldn't stop thinking about me. Except for a few creeps at the club, but they certainly didn't count.

"You don't have to say anything." He smiled at me. "Just let me get to know you better."

I nodded. "No problem."

"Is it alright if I sit and watch this show with you?" he asked hesitantly. He ran one of his hands through his hair, messing up the already messy array on his head.

"It's only fair since you've made me miss this entire episode," I joked. He grinned and sat back, pulling me with him. We sat with our legs touching, his left arm across the back of the couch. I pulled the blanket over us, being a gracious host and sharing my things.

Edward patiently watched the rest of the episode with me, which was only about ten more minutes. I finished the two donuts he had brought me and he finished his, also drinking the coffee he had brought for himself. His hands never moved to touch me, being the perfect gentleman he was, even though all I wanted was for his hands to be on every part of my skin. He was respecting my space, though, which I had to appreciate since we were still practically strangers.

I knew I liked Edward, and he had made it evident that he was interested in me, but I wasn't sure how quickly I was willing to take this, whatever it was. The fact that he was in my house, sitting on my couch, watching TV with me was astonishing, and I couldn't really comprehend it. For so long, Edward had been contained to my workplace as my customer, and now he was in my home where he was no longer bound to rules. The knowledge that he no longer was obligated to keep his hands off of me was fantastic to the sex driven side of me, but the more practical side was hesitant about what was going to happen.

He was here now, and I didn't want to worry too much when we both were perfectly content just sitting and being. When the episode ended, he spoke without turning to face me.

"How do you watch this crap?"

My jaw dropped. Maybe we couldn't have anything together after all.

"What do you mean?" I balked. "Grey's Anatomy is an amazing show. I've been watching it since it first aired on television."

"Weren't you like nine?" He looked at me finally, one eyebrow raised.

"So? My obsession with McDreamy had been a long time coming. I first watched Can't Buy Me Love when I was six, and Patrick Dempsey stole my heart. I haven't been able to get enough of him since." I visibly swooned, exaggerating my love for all of Patrick's characters. Although, it wasn't much of an exaggeration, because that man could do no wrong.

"Ah, so you only watch this for Patrick Dempsey because he plays a hot doctor?" Edward was smirking now.

I rolled my eyes. "If all I wanted to see was a hot doctor, I'd visit you at work." I froze at my words, cursing my continual lack of a filter. I quickly continued my train of thought as he laughed quietly. "I watch it because I like the plot and it's not horrendously off as far as the medical stuff goes. Once it gets more drama-y I can't stop because I'm too invested in the characters."

"You think I'm a hot doctor?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. The smirk on his face was doing all sorts of things to my body that I was not prepared to act on.

"I was hoping you wouldn't get caught up on that," I mumbled. I had tried to rectify myself; apparently that didn't happen.

"When a pretty girl compliments me, I usually catch it." He beamed at me and slid his arm from the couch to my shoulders, squeezing them lightly. "It's okay, you're gonna make a pretty hot doctor, too."

His words were meant to ease my embarrassment, but I just blushed more, which seemed to be never ending today.

I just grumbled and ended the conversation as the next episode started, focusing my attention on that. I drowned myself in Meredith's life drama, trying to forget about my own. I couldn't really ignore Edward's arm slowly migrating from my shoulders to my waist, which I wasn't complaining about. Eventually I just leaned into him, allowing the warmth of his body to encompass mine.

We were silently watching Grey's Anatomy for a few episodes before he finally got out of his position. He stood from the couch and stretched his arms over his head, his shirt rising with them. I caught a glimpse of his happy trail and his very toned stomach, which I really hadn't taken all that good of a look at the Halloween. The opportunity had presented itself and I hadn't taken advantage of it. I was highly disappointed in myself.

 _Get it together, Bella._

"Alright, I have to get going," he said. "My shift starts at one. Do you work tomorrow?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't work until Friday. Why?"

"I don't work either. Do you want to do something? Maybe get lunch or something?" He looked kind of hesitant, shifting his weight from foot to foot. I loved seeing him as awkward and unsure of himself as I always was around him.

"Text me when you think of what you actually want to do," I chuckled.

"I would, but a little birdy won't give me your number," he said, pouting a little bit, which looked much too attractive on him.

I took his phone from his hand and opened his contacts. I quickly put my number in it before handing it back.

"There, now you don't have to ask the little birdy anymore."

He smiled at me. "I'll see you later, Bella. I'm glad I got to see you outside of the ER."

I gave him a small smile back. "Likewise, Edward."

* * *

So, how do we think their little chat went? Is it what you were expecting? Let me know your thoughts!

I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate every single one of your reviews, even the one that I criticized in my intro. You took the time to leave a review, and that means the world to me. The only reason I took apart that review was because it pertained to a topic I wanted to address anyway. I am not upset in any way, I just thought I'd voice my opinion on it and use it to explain some things.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter is also already written, so expect that one tomorrow or Friday. I have decided that I will not post a new chapter until the one following it has been finished. It's just easier that way so I'm not struggling to get chapters to you guys. I'm usually pretty quick at typing them up, but it's just a rule I've been following for the last couple of updates.

Until next time, lovelies!


	13. The One With the Weed

Hello everyone, sorry for the longer wait on this chapter. I got side tracked a few times, and then school and work also kind of got in the way. But here it is. We get to learn some new information about Edward in this chapter. Nothing pivotal, but that's all that this chapter really has going for it haha. Things pick up next chapter for sure. I just finished writing that one, so expect it probably Sunday.

I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE:**

 **BELLA POV**

When Rose arrived home around four, she found me exactly where she left me this morning: vegging out on the couch to Grey's Anatomy. The final episode of the season had been the one playing when Edward left earlier this afternoon, so I was now a few episodes into season two. She chuckled at me as she shed her bookbag and coat, also kicking off her shoes as she made her way to the couch.

"How are Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepherd?" she enquired, indulging my addiction. She plopped down beside me, curling her feet under her and cuddling into my side.

Finals week was one of the only times out of the school year that Rose didn't get dressed up for class. This last week before Christmas entailed a lot of yoga pants and large sweatshirts and ponytails. There was no time for makeup and planned outfits when there was copious amounts of studying to be done.

"Well, Meredith's mom just got admitted to the hospital, Satan has joined as a cover for a doctor on maternity leave, Derek is pissed at the Chief, and Burke found out about the baby after Cristina collapsed during a surgery." Rose had rewatched all eleven seasons on Netflix with me over the summer, so I was just catching her up to speed on my second rewatching.

"Ah yes, where the craziness begins," she remembered. "Hospitals sure stir up a lot of drama." I felt her eyes on me, pressing me for information. "Speaking of hospitals, did your own McDreamy drop by today?"

I rolled my eyes at her, but those damn butterflies welled up in my stomach at the mention of Edward. "Please don't compare Edward to Derek." Even though I had a serious crush on the good television doctor, the real life doctor was much more attractive than poor Patrick would ever be.

"Fine, what about McSteamy?" I cringed at the thought of Mark, even though I really loved his character. He was a real manwhore before the whole thing with Callie happened, though. Thank God for Sophia.

"He's not like McSteamy," I said. "Or at least I don't think he is." I actually didn't know much about Edward's past relationships, beside with Lauren, and they didn't seem to be on the best of terms from what I had seen at the party.

"I can tell that he's not," Rose reassured. "Plus, who has time with all the strains of medical school and residency?" I didn't want to say that it just made it even more likely that he had a bunch of flings, so I stayed quiet. Rose continued trying to give Edward and Grey's Anatomy name. "Ooh, what about McDelicious?"

I scrunched my nose up at her. "That sounds like the name of McDonald's sandwich."

She let out a sharp laugh that dissolved into giggles. "Fine, how about McEdible?"

"Now that just reminds me of edibles," I grumbled. "Some sort of weird promotion by that medical marijuana shop down the street."

"I will find a great name for Edward, Bella," she surmised. "Anyway, tell me what happened while he was here."

"How do you know he even came here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Bella, I know all. Who do you think told him you were going to be alone here today?" I gawked at her, my heart stinging with betrayal. "Honestly, I had hoped he'd take that as an invitation to seduce you, because you really need to get laid. But talking things out is fine, for now."

"Rosalie Hale! I do not need to get laid!" I objected. "I've gone twenty years, I think I'm okay."

"I'm not pressuring you into having sex, Bella. But I can tell how much you want each other. The sexual tension between you was so obvious at the Halloween party, and it always has been at the club. I can cut it with a knife."

"Whatever, I'm not jumping into bed with the guy. No matter how hot he is."

 _Oh please, I'll be all over him in a second if given the opportunity._

"Enough! Just tell me what happened!"

I recounted to Rose how the day went, about how he brought me donuts, even though she already knew that. I told her we apologized to each other and agreed to start over as just Edward and Bella, and how we had spent the rest of his time here watching Grey's Anatomy in peaceful quiet, even though I knew he hated the show. I finished my telling her that he had asked me to do something with him tomorrow, I just didn't know what that something was.

She squealed at me about how perfect we were going to be together as I started dinner. I had promised Emmett I'd make him his chicken noodle soup as long as he finished cutting the vegetables, since I was obviously incapable. He had finished chopping the carrots last night after we got back from the ER as I sulked in my room about how things had played out with Edward. Today all I had to do was put the pot on to boil and add all the vegetables and chicken, which is exactly what I did. It would be ready for Emmett once he got home from work.

"Bella! You have to tell Esme. She'll be so excited," Rose gushed, which was weird for her, since she was usually pretty coy about romantic situations. Alice was the one that gushed and squealed, ever the romantic. But she wasn't here, so maybe Rose was acting as both of my best friends for me.

"I'm not telling anyone about anything," I said. "We're going to hang out, we're not planning our wedding." I rolled my eyes. "What if he actually doesn't like me? Esme would get her hopes up for no reason and she'd be devastated when someone told her it was over."

"Bella, you're dooming this relationship before it even starts. Stop being such a Negative Nancy," Rose chastised me.

"I can't help it, Rose. Up until now, men have only liked me for my body. Forgive me if I'm hesitant about someone expressing interest in me. It's a foreign concept."

"He's obviously interested in things other than your looks," she said. She set a hand on my shoulder as I stirred the contents of the pot. "You told me you guys mostly just talked every weekend. He obviously heard something he liked if he asked you to keep talking instead of asking you to shut up and just dance."

I shrugged. "I guess, but what if we start to actually spend time together and he ends up thinking I'm nothing more than a pretty face on a hot body with a head filled with hot air?"

"Babe, you're on your way to becoming a doctor. You've gotten nothing less than a B in any of your classes since middle school. Sure, you're hot, but you're also not some dumb bimbo. He probably would have noticed already if you were." She turned me to look at her, her serious face on. "Maybe it's time you stopped working at the club.

"What?" I gasped. "Why would I do that? I'm not giving up my job just because I might possibly have a thing with Edward."

"I'm not saying to give it up for Edward." She shook her head at me. "Never give up something just because a man comes into your life. I'm telling you that you should give it up because it's obviously making you insecure about your worth as a woman. Not every guy is going to see you as merchandise to be bought, Bella. Especially not Edward. But you have to realize that yourself, and continuing to work at the club is making that difficult."

She had a point. I had never seen myself particularly attractive to the opposite sex before I started working at Lucky Devil, so it had made me more aware of my prowess as a woman, which I was thankful for. But it also made me see the most disgusting specimen of men on a daily basis, which had strewn my image of men and how they valued me. To them, I was just a service to be bought, like Rose had said. Maybe it was adversely affecting my view of men in general.

I sighed. "I'll think about it, Rose. But it's my only source of income, and it's a pretty good one."

"Like I said, I'm not telling you that you need to quit. I'm just saying it would be a good idea to take it into consideration."

* * *

After dinner, I received a text message from a number I didn't have programmed in my phone. I had been sitting in the living room with Rose, Em, and Alice, who had returned from dinner with her parents a few moments earlier.

 _Hey, it's Edward. I've decided on what to do tomorrow._

I smiled at the text, those butterflies starting up in my stomach again.

 _Jesus, Bella. All he said was hi. Calm down._

 _What have you decided on, Dr.?_ I responded. I really did have a thing for hot doctors, and I'm sure he was picking up on that.

 _How do you feel about a hike and a picnic?_

 _As long as I'm not scaling up any mountains, that sounds great._

 _No mountains, just trails and trees._

 _Perfect, my type of hike._

 _Pick you up at 11._

 _I look forward to it._

"Why is Bells so smiley?" I heard Emmett ask.

"She's probably texting Edward," Alice sing-songed. Rose had filled Alice in on Edward's visit while Em and I had cleaned the dishes after dinner. Alice had done the usual and squealed and hopped around. She was probably planning our wedding in her head as we sat.

"What happened between you two, anyway?" Emmett asked.

Rose and I had agreed not to tell Emmett about his cousin coming to visit me at the house today. There'd be too many lies to make up to explain to him why Edward dropped by, and I wasn't about to tell Emmett my secret, too, although I knew I would have to eventually. So we agreed to leave the visit out and I'd just tell him that I had decided to give Edward a shot. I partially had a story already created in my head.

"He stormed off pretty quickly last night after he finished sewing up your thumb."

"Edward told me he was just having a rough day at work," I said, which wasn't a complete lie. I knew I had made things a little problematic for him, to say the least. "But I caved and got his number from Rose last night."

"I'm glad you've come to your senses, sweet cheeks," Em grinned. "Ed's a great guy. He even treated the bitch Lauren well, even though she sure as hell didn't deserve it."

"What is up with this Lauren girl?" Alice interjected. I had really been wondering the same thing. I hadn't gotten any insight to their relationship, besides that the breakup was apparently unpleasant. "Edward looked pretty pissed when he saw her on Halloween."

"She's a liar and a cheater," Em shrugged. "Her and Ed were together for a year, and I knew I didn't like her from the get go. Something wasn't right about her. Come to find out that she had been cheating on Edward with one of the guys in Kappa Sig. For quite awhile, too. It wasn't like a one time thing."

"Who in their right mind would cheat on Edward?" Alice shouted. I wanted to say the same, but she had beaten me to it. "He's super nice, besides being extremely attractive. Why would you look anywhere else?"

Emmett scowled. "She made up some bullshit about him never being around to pay attention to her. She knew before they started dating that he was in med school, though. I told him he never should have dated someone so much younger than him."

"Lauren and I are the same age," I told Emmett. Did he think any potential relationship Edward and I had would fail too? I knew our age difference was a concern, especially since Edward had so much more life experience to me. It was still strange to me that he was already a resident. At his age, I'd only be in my second year of med school.

"Yeah, but you're much more aware of Edward's situation than she was," Rose assured. "Lauren is a cheerleader and a photography major. She knows jack shit about medicine and the education it entails. She's not fit to date anyone above her age or intelligence level."

"You and Edward are on the same life path," Alice said, that dreamy look on her face that she got when she started talking about relationships. She had the same look whenever she talked about her future with Jasper. Or about anything involving Jasper, really. She was like a lovesick puppy, even for other people's relationships.

"She's right," Em agreed, nodding his head. "You know what he's going through because you're going to do it yourself. You've already got the upper hand on Lauren."

I contemplated their words. Sure, I was in the same field as Edward, but he was so far ahead of me, I wasn't sure that I could ever catch up. Was my understanding of his job and obligations really enough, or would my age be a hinderance before we even started anything? Just because Lauren and I were very different people, our age being the same left a bad taste in my mouth when it came to possibilities with Edward.

"So, what were you two texting about?" Alice asked, breaking me from my train of internal thought.

"Just making plans to hang out tomorrow," I told her, trying to be as casual as possible. On the inside, my stomach started fluttering again and I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks. Even mentioning Edward had a physical effect on me, and I had no idea how long this would keep happening. I really hoped my physiological response would calm down quickly. I couldn't get all bothered every time anyone talked about him. Talk about embarrassing.

"So you're going on a date?" Alice asked, bouncing up and down on the couch cushion.

"I mean, we're going on a hike and then having a picnic." I shrugged. "I'm not sure if that's really a date." I was trying to play it off, but I really wanted it to be a date.

"That's definitely a date," Rose said, smirking at me.

"Hey, you want some weed to take with you?" Em asked. He had a mason jar full of it in his and Rose's bedroom, ready for whenever we decided to hit some on the weekends. It wasn't like we were constantly smoking, mostly just on the weekends. I didn't even participate that often, since I worked pretty frequently, and even though marijuana was legal in Oregon, it was still frowned upon to show up to work high.

"I don't really want to make Edward feel uncomfortable." I could assume that Edward didn't smoke, so I didn't want to bring along a joint or two and be that girl.

"I promise you won't make him uncomfortable," Em snickered.

"Why's that?"

"Who do you think I get the weed from?" Emmett laughed as Rose, Alice and I all raised our eyebrows. I had always thought he got it from one of the guys in the frat. None of us ever went and bought it for ourselves from shops. Just because it was legal now, didn't mean schools and jobs didn't frown upon it. So, we all just gave money to Emmett to give to the person that did go and buy it for us. Apparently our supplier was Edward.

"What the fuck?" I asked, breaking the silence first of the three of us. "I thought Sam or Alec got it for you?"

"No, Ed's been the plug since I went to PSU. Even back when that shit was still illegal. The guy's gotta destress from all that work somehow." Emmett boomed with laughter, taking in the still shocked looks on our faces.

"This is like an episode of The Twilight Zone," Alice murmured. "I never saw Edward as one to smoke. I mean, I saw him drink on Halloween, but I figured that was his only thing. He seems like he'd be against it."

"He only ever smokes weed. He doesn't do hookah or anything. Says the tobacco's too addictive and can still cause cancer." I had never took Emmett up on his offer of doing hookah, much for the same reason. While a lot of people will like to try to tell you that marijuana also causes cancer, there is actually no research that suggests it does. Usually people who smoke weed also smoke cigarettes, so the only probable reason they get cancer is because of the tobacco.

"I still don't know, Em." I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, contemplating how that could go.

"Just take some," he said. "If you use it, great. You don't have to use it just because you took it with you. But I can almost guarantee you he'll take you up on the offer."

"Ooh, plus you'd be able to show him your little party trick!" Alice said, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree, much like the one that was currently in the corner of our living room.

"What trick? I'm not doing body shots with him while we're on a hiking trail on a Thursday morning."

"No no, not that one, the other one, silly." She looked at me like I was an idiot, which I probably was. I had no idea what she was referring to.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ali."

"Come on, Bella. The thing you do that gets all the guys hot and bothered." A wicked grin took residence on her face. Her statement really didn't clear anything up, considering she said the same thing about doing body shots.

She must have gotten frustrated with the dumb look on my face, because she huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest like a petulant child. "The one where you pass the smoke, Bella."

I finally registered what she was talking about. "Guys only get hot and bothered because I do it with other girls."

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Rose asked, butting in.

I gave her a quizzical look and blushed simultaneously. "No."

"Then it'll get him hot and bothered," she decided. I just rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, I'll try it. Leave some out for me tomorrow, Em." Emmett grinned at me and shot me a thumbs up. He was way too excited about me getting with his cousin.

Em was right, though. I didn't have to use it if I didn't want to or if Edward didn't want to. I wasn't going to smoke if he wasn't going to, and I wasn't sure if I had the balls to ask him outright if he would smoke with me. There was a very high chance that a joint wouldn't get used tomorrow, but I would take one just in case. Who knows, maybe something crazy will happen and we'd actually use it?

I spent the rest of the night contemplating how tomorrow was going to go, particularly the hiking part. I knew Edward had said that there was going to be trails, but as we have all seen, I'm not the most graceful person when I wasn't in the club. I'm sure I would find myself tripping over my own two feet out there. The possibility of an errant tree root popping out of the ground was also a real concern. I already had a wounded hand that prevented me from dancing at the club, I didn't need a broken ankle to accompany it. Maybe Edward was conscious of my inability to not trip over something and would choose a well worn trail. I could only hope.

Before I went to bed that night, Alice insisted that she pick out my outfit for tomorrow, even though I insisted it was just going to be active wear, which even I couldn't fuck up that bad. She had just swatted me away and pushed herself into my room, opening my drawers to where I kept all my workout clothes. I actually owned quite a bit, considering I worked out regularly in order to stay fit enough to do pole work. Rose and I went to the gym in our apartment complex on our days off, and Alice sometimes tagged along with us.

Alice laid out a pair of black yoga leggings, a sports bra, one of my long-sleeve workout shirts, and a zip-up sweater. We were having a pretty mild winter here in Portland this year. Most days it was in the mid-fifties with a smattering of rain. It wasn't necessary to bundle up, especially when it wasn't windy.

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from telling Alice that I would have picked out the exact same thing she did if she had just let me do it on my own. She looked content with herself when she was done, though, so I let her have this one. I knew she would be unbearable if it ever came to the point where I actually needed her help with outfits for more proper dates.

I shooed Alice out of my room so I could take a shower and get ready for bed. When I returned to my room from my shower, saw my phone had lit up with a notification. I glanced at it quickly and realized it was a text message from Edward. I unlocked my phone and read the message, a goofy smile stretching my lips.

 _Can't wait for tomorrow. Sleep well, Bella. Goodnight :)_

I fell asleep with a smile on my face, images of Edward the last thing I saw before I drifted off. That night was the first time I dreamt of Edward Cullen.

* * *

So, like I said, this chapter wasn't like super exciting, or anything, but Bella needed some time with friends. Next chapter will be their date, so I hope you guys look forward to that. Please leave me a review and let me know what you want to happen. I love to hear your guys' thoughts :)

Things will begin to pick up between E & B in the coming chapters, I promise. As some of you pointed out, they have known each other for a while. But, we also have to keep in mind that Bella is still a virgin, so we'll see how that plays out haha. But I promise more relationship-y things will begin to happen.

Until next time, lovelies!


	14. The One With First Dates

I am so, so sorry for the delay, guys! I got so sidetracked with this weekend. Some shit has been going down in my personal life that I have been consumed by, and my spring semester started today, so I'm going to be taking more than one class again, unfortunately. But, do not fret, I will maintain the whole 'at least two chapters a week' thing. I have not actually completed the next chapter, but I felt that you guys deserved this for waiting somewhat patiently.

So, without further ado, here is the much anticipated date. Enjoy :D

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN:**

 **BELLA POV**

The doorbell sounded throughout the apartment, and I tried to get out of my room quick enough to answer it myself. Rose, Alice and I were here and Em was at work, and I knew someone was going to try to meet Edward at the door. I was hoping it would be Rose, since she was capable of being a normal human being.

"I've got it!" Alice exclaimed, making me groan and cringe. I heard Rose chuckle in the living room, doing nothing to restrain the devilish pixie.

 _Thanks a lot, best friend._

"Hi, Edward," Alice greeted rather loudly. I hope she wasn't scaring him off with her boisterousness.

"It's Alice, right?" I heard him ask, his smooth voice music to my ears after Alice's shrill exclamations. I quickly grabbed the small backpack I was taking with me to hold my wallet, phone, water, and emergency sunblock. Oh, and the weed. Couldn't forget the weed.

I stopped at the end of the hall, watching as Edward interacted with my deranged roommate. He looked really great in his black joggers and grey pullover. He had sunglasses hanging onto the front of his collar, and his hair was in its usual disarray, forever making me want to run my fingers through it. Maybe he'd let me sometime soon. I had done it at the club quite frequently, but I wasn't quite sure what the rules were now that we were seeing each other as just Edward and Bella.

"Sure is," Alice responded, and I could here the large smile in her voice. "Bella should be ready soon."

"I'm right here, Al," I said, walking toward them. Edward's face lit up in a smile when he saw me. His green eyes roamed from my face to my body, and then back up again. I instinctively pulled my lower lip between my teeth as I could feel my face begin to get hot. I'd probably never get used to his obvious perusal of my body.

"Bella," Edward said, his voice sounding slightly breathy.

"Hi, Edward," I greeted him. "I'm ready whenever you are." I wanted to get away from Alice before she could say anything embarrassing. Not like I didn't do that myself enough.

He simply smiled at me and put his hand on my back as we walked out the door.

"Have fun!" Alice shouted after us.

"Be safe! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Rose added. I rolled my eyes.

"That's the worst piece of advice ever!" I shouted back. "There's few things in this world you wouldn't do, and most of them are punishable by twenty-five to life."

"Exactly," she said. I could just imagine the smirk that was plastered on her lips.

I huffed and closed the door, effectively stopping any more possible comments from my supposed friends. Edward chuckled at my flustered state, keeping his hand on my back as he led me to his car. His touch was warm, and I could feel it through the two layers I was wearing where he was touching me. His close proximity allowed me to smell him, as well. I loved how he smelled; that perfect mixture between his natural scent and whatever cologne he wore. It was lovely.

When we got to his car, he opened the passenger door for me, waiting for me to get situated before closing it. I was surprised by the modesty of his vehicle, given how much he had dropped at the club in just a couple of months. From Edward alone, I had made enough to have a savings of over three thousand dollars. Thankfully, I hadn't really had to touch any of the money he had paid me, since I made enough off of everyone else to pay for bills, loans, and food.

His mid sized vehicle was not a reflection of his wealth, by any means. I didn't know much about cars, but I knew it was a newer model Chevrolet SUV, which couldn't be more than $25,000. I honestly had been expecting some luxury brand, like Lincoln or Mercedes. A Chevrolet probably would have been one of the last guesses on my list, right next to Honda and Toyota. I mean, compared to the little Kia I drove, this car was kind of expensive, but to a person with a steady income, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Edward must have noticed the way I was eyeing the interior of his car, because he asked me, "What?" as he buckled his seatbelt and started the ignition.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Just pleasantly surprised."

He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow as he back out of his parking space. "About what, exactly?"

"Your car. Not what I expected." I shrugged. It wasn't a big deal, just interesting.

"Ah, the money thing," he said, a smirk pulling at his lips. "You expected me to drive, like, a BMW or something, right?"

"Yeah, kinda," I said, chuckling lightly.

"Sorry to disappoint," he said, flashing me a smile. "Flashy cars aren't my thing."

"Oh, I'm not disappointed. This is really nice compared to my first car."

"What did you drive?"

"A 1963 Chevy pickup. It was my sixteenth birthday present. I basically ran it into the ground," I told him. "I loved that truck, and it had surprisingly made it to Portland when I first came to college out here. It broke down beyond reasonable repair, despite Emmett's best efforts. I finally gave in and bought a new car, which was the one I have now. What about you?"

"My mom's hand me down Volvo when I turned sixteen. My dad bought her a new car, so I got that one. I had it until I bought this one a couple months ago."

I was a little surprised at his answer, again, but I had to try to hide it better than I did last time. "What made you get rid of it?"

"It needed a new transmission that I didn't want to deal with, so I just got this one and sold the Volvo online."

Before there was a chance for the conversation to lull, he asked about how I had gotten to know Emmett, Rose, and Alice. I explained to him how I'd dormed with Alice, shared a GE class with Rose, and by then she was already dating Emmett. He commended me on being able to live with Emmett for the last couple years, considering he could barely spend time with him at college and the one year they were actually in Kappa Sig together. I told him that Emmett and I actually got along really well when he wasn't teasing me mercilessly. When I told him we were TV show buddies, he vowed to never let Emmett hear the end of it, considering no one outside of our apartment knew that Emmett watched those shows with me.

Edward pulled into a small parking lot off the side of a highway. Glancing around, I saw very tall trees and hardly any other cars in the parking lot. It was a Thursday morning, and I hadn't really expected to see anyone else here. Upon further inspection, I saw an open field that had disc golf baskets set up at intervals, as well as soccer goals. It looked like a normal park with a giant ass forest backed up to it.

Edward came around and opened my door, which I wasn't really used to. I had never really had anyone do this type of thing for me, so it was strange. My dad didn't even open car doors for my mom.

"You know you don't have to do that, right?" I asked him as he closed the door once I stepped out. "I mean, I'm not telling you to stop, but I'm capable of opening a car door."

He shook his head at me as he went to open the trunk. "I know I don't have to, Bella. But I want to, and it's how I was raised. My dad still opens car doors for my mom."

"Your parents are really sweet together," I commented. He handed me the small bag I had brought, and he shouldered a larger backpack. "Your mom is a character." I internally cringed at Esme's drunken proclamation at Edward and I making beautiful babies. Better not mention that to him.

I followed beside Edward as he walked toward a marked path that led into the forest. "My mom said that she really likes you. And your parents." He turned to me and beamed.

"Your mom and mine are trouble together. Especially after a few glasses of wine." I chuckled at memories of Esme and Renee after dinner on Thanksgiving. Elizabeth had been irritated, to say the least.

"How did Thanksgiving go, with the two of them and Aunt Elizabeth?" he asked. I was kind of worried if he was able to read my mind.

"It was okay," I admitted. We started in on the trail, and I looked mostly at the ground so I wouldn't trip over anything. It was fairly clear right now, but I was accident prone. The band-aid covering the stitches in my thumb could attest to that. "Mostly Renee and Esme told stories and giggled together while Elizabeth sulked in the corner."

"Seems like the typical family gathering," he sighed. "I don't know why she's like that. Or how my uncle deals with her. Although, he seems to ignore her for the most part and talk to my dad. She'll talk to me about work, but that's as much interaction as we usually have."

"Has she always been like that?" I asked. I kept my eyes trained on the ground now that it was starting to get a bit steeper.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I didn't spend a whole lot of time with them before we moved to Seattle. Em would come and visit for summers in Forks, but I never really saw my aunt and uncle besides Christmas. And I didn't spend a whole lot of time with the adults as a kid. I only ever had Emmett, so we played together anytime we saw each other."

"At least you had Emmett," I grumbled, half at my situation growing up and half at the bush that had swatted against my leg. "Both my parents are only children."

"Tell me about your parents," Edward requested. "I never met either of them while in Forks."

"Well, my dad is the chief of police. He spends his days off fishing, drinking, and watching sports," I chuckled. "He likes pretty much anything that plays on TV, so right now there's every possible football game airing. He roots for the Seahawks, but he'll watch anything. Charlie is a simple being."

"What about your mom?"

"Renee is a free spirit. She does any and everything she can. Right now she's really into crocheting. This summer she did a lot of bracelet-making and pottery. She paints pretty regularly, and she's pretty good at it. She takes dancing classes once a week in a studio in Port Angeles just because she can. She'd probably smoke weed if my dad wasn't so against it."

"I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure my parents _do_ smoke weed," Edward said, laughing.

I joined him. "Esme seems like the type, honestly."

"I'm positive she did it in high school and college, there's photographic evidence," he laughed.

"I'm pretty sure my mom did, too," I said. "She's mentioned smoking before, but she hates cigarettes. She makes a scene when she walks by people smoking them."

I laughed at the memory of my mom coughing obnoxiously beside this man who had been standing near us when we were waiting to be seated while we were out to dinner with Rose and Emmett and his parents in Seattle. The man had given her an annoyed look, but he tossed it to the ground and put it out with his shoe as Renee gave him a satisfied smile.

We came up to a point in the path where it inclined quickly over a span of only a few feet, and I knew I was bound to fall on my face. I looked at the path hesitantly as Edward began to step up it easily, his long legs carrying him quickly over the steep ground. Being next to Edward without my Pleasers on made me painfully aware of how much shorter I was than him.

He looked back at me when he realized I wasn't right behind him. He raised his eyebrow as I shook my head.

"There's no way," I told him. "I'm gonna trip and die."

He held out his hand to me and gave me a small smile. "Here, I'll help you." He latched his free arm onto a tree limb nearby, anchoring himself. I hesitantly placed my hand in his, and his grip tightened, the warmth of his fingers radiating up my arm.

I tried not to show my reaction to his touch, but I knew I was blushing and I had a tight grip on my bottom lip again. I hoisted myself up the incline with his help. Once I was up to his level, he let go of the tree and tugged me forward on the path, not releasing my hand. His hand shifted slightly so that his fingers intertwined with mine, making my blush deepen.

 _Edward Cullen is holding my hand. Like,_ really _holding my hand. Like how couples do._

We walked on for a few more minutes in comfortable silence, his hand still firmly in mine. He even stroked his thumb over the back of mine every once in awhile, making the area tingle, like a bolt of electricity was firing the nerves in that specific patch of skin. It was an odd sensation, but I wanted to experience more of it, and in other places of my body.

Eventually, he pulled me slightly off the path, which made me apprehensive at first. But after a few yards, I saw the trees break and a clearing appear. It was completely covered in a thick grass, with the forest circling around it. There were a few scattered trees in the circle, but it was almost completely open to the sky. It was mostly sunny today with a few scattered dark clouds, which was a bit unusual for this time of year. There wasn't even a chance of rain until early next week.

He led us until pretty much the middle of the clearing, under a tree to provide shade. He shrugged his backpack off and tossed it to the ground, so I did the same. He unzipped the largest pocket and procured a blanket, laying it out on the grass. He took my hand again and pulled me down with him.

"Are you hungry now, or do you want to wait a little bit?" he asked me. He took the sunglasses off his face and placed them inside his bag.

"I'm good for now," I said, shaking my head. "Maybe in a little bit."

He shrugged and laid back, stretching himself along the length of the blanket. He crossed his hands behind his head and watched me, probably waiting for me to join him. I pulled my bag toward me first, wanting to grab some water. My skin was way too hot for my own good, and I needed to try to cool myself off somehow. When I tugged the bottle free from my bag, the small tin container Emmett had put the weed in came with it, tumbling onto the blanket.

"What is that?" Edward asked, nodding toward the tin.

I rolled my eyes as I took a sip of my water. I tossed the box to him as I answered. "A gift from Emmett. He insisted I bring it with me."

His eyebrows furrowed as he sat up and twisted the lid off. He glanced inside and chuckled. Emmett had rolled two joints for me this morning and left them out for me on the kitchen table, leaving a note telling me to have a good time. There had been a lighter beside it as well, which I had put in the backpack before I left.

"Did Emmett tell you that I'm his supplier? For lack of a better term." He was smirking at me.  
" _Our_ supplier," I corrected.

He quirked an eyebrow. "You smoke? You don't seem the type."

"Funny, Alice said the same about you."

"I think the medical field thing throws people off." He shrugged. "Did you want to smoke today?" He held the tin out to me.

I shook my head, but took it from him anyway. "No, I'm okay. Em and Alice wanted me to show you one of my party tricks, but I figured it was a little much for our first time hanging out together."

"You have other party tricks aside from the pole dancing and tequila body shots?" he asked, amusement lacing his tone. He laid back on the blanket again, and I joined him.

I turned on my side to face him, my head propped in my arm. "The pole dancing isn't a party trick. Not yet, at least. Maybe once I stop working at the club. Plus, regular body shots are also in my repertoire. Those I save for special occasions, though." I winked at him and he chuckled. "But I have smoking party tricks for house parties and stuff."

"Well, you're just a jack of all trades, aren't you?"

"Gotta keep my options open, you know? Just in case the medical school thing doesn't pan out. I can't work at Lucky Devil forever." I grinned at him.

"I think the medical school thing will work out just fine for you, Bella." He turned on his side, mimicking my pose. "From what I can tell, you're very intelligent."

"Definitely not as intelligent as you," I joked. I knew he was embarrassed about his genius status, but it was his turn to be embarrassed about something.

I saw his ears turn pink and a sheepish look pass over his face, but he avoided the topic. "You'll become a great surgeon one day, Bella. I can just tell."

I accepted his compliment, my face only heating up slightly. Maybe I could get this perpetual blushing thing under control.

We spent the next few hours talking about everything and nothing. We played twenty questions back and forth, getting to know each other even better than we already did. It was the little stuff that we cleared up, really. Like how his favorite color was blue and mine was green (which had been a recent development), and how he had never had pets, but I grew up with at least two animals in my house at all times. His birthday was June twentieth and mine was September thirteenth. His first kiss had been with a girl named Taylor in the seventh grade, mine had been with a boy named Kyle in the eighth. He tried bringing up our first times having sex, but I quickly steered the conversation away from that topic, unwilling to tell him that I hadn't actually had sex before.

Edward had packed us lunch, which I discovered was peanut butter and jelly, sodas, grapes, and bags of chips. Turns out he couldn't cook to save his life. I liked peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on an unhealthy level, though, so I genuinely enjoyed what he had made us. I told him so and he blushed, which was endearing. So endearing, I leaned in close and pressed my lips to his cheek while I giggled at his embarrassment.

I wasn't sure exactly what had possessed me to kiss him, but I was cursing it vehemently in my head as I pulled away from him. I mumbled an apology, taking sudden intense interest in the potato chip in my hand.

I was expecting to hear him accept my apology, or tell me that I didn't have to apologize, but no such words came. No words came at all, actually. Instead, I felt his touch under my chin as he nudged me to look up at him. His green eyes we intense, boring into mine before they dropped down to my lips. I involuntarily licked them before biting down on my bottom one. His thumb reached up and tugged my lip free. My heart began to thump loudly in my chest as his face got closer to mine.

 _He's going to kiss me. Holy shit._

Before I could process much more than that, I felt his lips softly brush against mine, almost teasing. My eyes flicked up to his as he pulled back slightly, and he searched my face for something. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he must have found it, because he leaned in again, capturing my lips in his, pressing into me firmly. His top lip fit between both of mine, and my bottom fit between his.

I had only kissed a few boys in my life, but they had never been as good as this. That surge of electricity that I had felt when he was holding my hand was making an appearance again. He was so close to me and I could feel his heat all around me. His hand moved to the back of my neck, his thumb stroking the skin on my jaw softly. Edward's tongue brushed against my lip and I sighed against him.

Finally, and much to my dismay, he pulled away from me, his hand still on my neck. He looked at me, his crooked grin on his face. I smiled back up at him, my face feeling flushed, like it always was when I was around him. It was getting, ridiculous, really.

Neither of us said anything for awhile; we just went back to eating our food until we were both finished. We agreed that it was a good time to head back, since it was already nearly two in the afternoon. I helped Edward get some of the stuff packed back into his backpack before we headed back onto the trail. He had grabbed onto my hand and interlocked our fingers as soon as we started walking and didn't let go the entire way back to his car.

* * *

So, what did ya'll think? Acceptable first date? Who was disappointed by them not smoking? Because, if you were, I have other plans for that, don't worry ;) I got you, babes.

As always, drop by and leave me a review, they are all greatly appreciated. There will be a slight time jump next chapter, because I'm anxious to get to Christmas-y stuff :) I have some plans for that as well, but not necessarily between E & B. So we have that to look forward to! Let me know what you guys want to see during the holidays, I want to include some of the things you guys want to see. This story is for you guys, after all!

Until next time, lovelies!


	15. The One With the Dinner Party

Hello lovelies. Happy Wednesday. While it is humpday, it is technically my Thursday, since I don't have any classes on Friday. So I'm that much closer to the weekend!

Anyway, because I felt bad about making you wait for the last chapter, I have decided to post the next chapter today. I know I said there was going to a be a time jump, but after reevaluating the timeline, I realized it wasn't actually that far off from Christmas, so it's really only a jump of a few days. But, things will start to speed up a little bit between E & B, so you're welcome to those of you who want to start seeing a bit of action.

I also wanted to address something that I received in the reviews a couple days ago, and I wish I could have responded to this person directly, but, alas, they were a guest. So, I will address it here, even though they said they were going to stop reading this story anyway. I figured if one person thought it, then maybe a few more of you did too and just were keeping it to yourself. The guest said that they were sick of stories where Bella was the innocent virgin and Edward was the man whore, experienced player. While I understand the concern, they didn't really give it a chance to play out, and I'm not sure where they got the impression that I was going to depict E that way. Sure, he's more experienced than Bella, but Bella not some innocent little lamb that is going to be corrupted by his wicked ways. I just thought it'd be a funny little thing that Bella was the stripper but a virgin. I really didn't know B being a virgin was that big of a deal.

Let me know how you feel about that whole thing, because I can always go back and change some things to make B & E on a more level playing field. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

 **EDWARD POV**

 _Christmastime 2015_

Less than a week since the last time I saw Bella, and I was missing her like we had been separated from each other for months. I wanted to see her before I left for my parents' house for Christmas, but she was leaving back to Forks early since she wasn't able to work with her injured thumb. We were only a few hours from each other now, but I still felt like she was much farther away.

I wasn't sure how I was so connected to a person I really didn't know that well. I hadn't felt like this about anyone before. Like I was aching when I wasn't with them, but I was on top of the world when we were together. When I was with Lauren, I enjoyed her company when I had it, but I didn't yearn for it like I yearned for Bella's. Every part of her called out to me, and I wanted to scratch the itch. Especially after getting to know what her lips felt against mine. They were so soft and she had tasted like peanut butter and jelly. I remember the faint smell of strawberries, too, and I wondered if it was her hair or her body.

I would have to wait another week and a half to see Bella, though. I was attending a New Year's Eve party they were throwing at their apartment, and I planned to spend the evening with her. I was hoping she'd show me that party trick with the smoke that she was talking about last Thursday. She had been very vague as to what it actually was, and it making me very anxious to see it. If it was anything like the tequila body shot she had done off of me on Halloween, I was very excited to see it.

My original plan for this week was not to come to Seattle until Thursday, which was Christmas Eve, and then be back in Portland by Saturday night. But, the hospital had given me the whole week off and I wasn't on call this week, which was a surprise. Being a new resident, they usually gave me all the shitty shifts that none of the attendings wanted. There had been an influx of new residents though, students that had graduated a semester earlier. So, they were all stuck with the holiday shifts while I was actually able to enjoy it with my family.

Today was Monday, though, and I was sitting in the library of my parents' house going through some medical journals. Emmett had planned on leaving Sunday to spend some time with his family and mine before seeing Rose's on Christmas day back in Portland. So, he had graciously taken me with him and Rose when they left. My mom was going to drive me back and stay at my pace for the weekend following Christmas, since my dad had another conference for the weekend, this time in Chicago.

My next rotation at the hospital was for obstetrics, so I found all the medical journals in the library pertaining to the subject. I had been in here for about two hours when someone knocked on the door. I didn't have to lift my head to notice it was my mom by the way her heels clacked on the wood flooring. She had gone out to lunch with some of her friends, so she was still dressed up fairly nice. My mom liked to be casual on her days off of work, so she usually kept it to jeans and a blouse and heels if she went out. If she was at home, though, it was yoga pants and a sweatshirt. My mother had no need to keep up pretenses while in her own house, unlike her sister. I loved my Aunt Elizabeth dearly, but she was rather problematic.

"I brought you some tea," my mom said, setting the steaming mug on the desk I was sitting at. I pushed my glasses up my nose as I smiled up at her. I thanked her as she took a seat on the couch beside the desk.

"How was lunch?" I asked her, turning my focus away from the books for a moment. My eyes were getting tired with looking at all the words on the page. I had never read the word 'uterine wall' so many times in my life. I took a sip of the herbal tea she had made me as I waited for her to answer.

"It was good, we just chatted about the holidays and potential business ventures," she shrugged off. "They asked about you and I told them all about my wonderful son and his bright future in the medical field." She fluttered her eyelashes at me and I chuckled behind the mug. I was my mom's favorite topic amongst her friends. "Oh, and about his new, very beautiful girlfriend.

I rolled my eyes, but my face became hot at her words. "She's not my girlfriend, Mom. We've only gone out once." If it was up to me, she would be my girlfriend already, but I needed to see how Bella felt about the idea first before I started jumping the gun.

"That's just a formality," she said, dismissing my argument with a wave of her hand. "You're totally smitten over her, already. I can see the way your eyes light up when anyone mentions her."

My mom was a freak romantic, so I just shook my head. "There's no way. Sure, I like Bella, but I'm sure nothing changes about me physically when you mention her." That was a complete lie, because I definitely got butterflies in my stomach, which sounded like the girliest thing ever. I could feel my heartbeat speed up when I thought about kissing her. And when I had time to think by myself, things got really graphic, and other parts of me definitely reacted. I liked to think of myself as a gentleman, but I was no saint, and my thoughts definitely weren't pure. I had needs that hadn't been taken care of in a while, and Bella was the one I wanted to sate them with.

"Speaking of your not-girlfriend, I ran into her today while at lunch. She was there with a friend." My mom smiled at me innocently, but I could see the mischievous look in her eyes. I could tell she was trying to gauge my reaction, so I just narrowed my eyes a her in suspicion. Inside, I was really excited about Bella being in Seattle. She was supposed to be in Forks, according to Rose and Emmett. I hadn't talked to her since before I left to my parents' house, unfortunately.

"What did you do?" I asked her. The look in her eyes meant she was scheming, and I wasn't sure what she was up to.

She shrugged. "I didn't do anything bad, my dear. I just informed dear Bella that we were having a small dinner party here tonight with some friends and colleagues. I told her there would be lots of doctors to talk to and socialize with. I may have also made sure Rose convinced her to show up."

I clenched my teeth together at my mother's antics. I wanted to see Bella, I just didn't want her to show up here and my mother force her into being shown off to all her friends as my girlfriend, because she wasn't. I really wanted her to be, but that wouldn't happen on her terms. But, I knew Rose and Emmett were going to be here, so hopefully it wouldn't be too weird for her.

"Mom, I really don't like you meddling with Bella," I told her. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair, gripping the ends.

"I'm not meddling, dear," she waved off. "I merely invited a lovely girl who's company I enjoy to a party that I am hosting at my home with people who may be able to guide her in her career. The fact that the boy she is currently seeing, who also happens to be my son, is also going to be there is merely coincidence." She beamed at me, folding her hands in her lap.

"Mom…" I sighed. I wasn't sure how my father dealt with her. Actually, I didn't even want to think about how my father dealt with her.

She stood from the couch and placed her hand on my shoulder. "The guests will start arriving in about three hours. I set out some clothes for you to wear tonight. Take a shower and be ready by six."

* * *

As the doorbell began ringing and my parents' colleagues began arriving, my excitement at seeing Bella rose. It had only been a few days since I had last seen her, but I was anxious to have her back in my presence. Even if she wasn't actually my girlfriend and I had no claim on her or right to be near her, I felt like we were supposed to be close together, always. I was slowly becoming addicted to her, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to stop.

"Edward, come here, son," my dad called. I had been standing at the top of the stairs, observing as people I had known for several years now interacted with each other. I strode down, hyperaware of every time the door opened, letting in another guest. Each time, I'd check quickly to see if it was Bella, and each time I was disappointed.

"Jared, I'd like to introduce you to my son, Edward," my dad introduced. I shook hands with the guy. He was just as tall as I was, but he had russet skin and dark black hair. If I had to guess, I'd say he was Native American. "Edward, Jared Cameron is one of the young doctors that works with me on the Alzheimer research."

"It's nice to meet you, man," I told him. I had a feeling we were about the same age, so I didn't feel the need to be as formal with him as the rest of my dad's colleagues.

"Likewise," he said, giving me a nod. He took a swig of the beer that was in his hand. "Your dad says that you're a doctor, too."

My dad had suddenly disappeared, which was a bit strange. But there were other people he had to mingle with at this party.

"Yeah, I'm a resident at OHSU in Portland." I shoved my hands in my pockets, unsure of what to do with them. Usually I had a beer in them by now, but I hadn't gotten the chance to grab one before my dad called me over.

"You seem really young," he commented, raising an eyebrow at me.

"So do you," I countered. I gave him a small grin to show him I was only joking. I didn't want to come off as an asshole right off the bat. "I'm only twenty-four."

"Graduate early or something?" he wondered. He took another sip from his beer as I nodded.

"What about you, Jared?" I wondered. He looked pretty young to be a neurologist.

"I'm twenty-nine," he answered. He was still pretty young to be doing research as a neurologist, but he probably went through school like a normal person.

"How long have you been working with my dad?"

"About six months now. I only recently started working at this hospital." He downed the rest of his beer and his eyes drifted over to something behind me. His eyes widened minutely. "That girl is beautiful. Do you know her? Does she work with your mom?"

I turned to look over my shoulder at where he was looking, and my eyes fell on Rose, who had walked in with Em. She looked gorgeous, as always, in a pair of dark cropped trousers and a dark red top, with a zipper as the neckline. It was cut low in the front, just low enough to be slightly provocative, but high enough to be appropriate for the setting.

"The blond? That's my cousin's girlfriend, Rose. She'd rip your head off if you even looked at her funny." I chuckled, remembering Bella's recountings of Rose over the years. She was a strongly loyal friend, so if you crossed any of the people she loved, you had better hope she shows mercy on you.

"No, not the blond, although, she's very beautiful. The brunette that came in behind her," Jared said, nudging his empty beer bottle a little to the right of Rose. When I looked in that direction, between where Em and Rose had their arms linked, I saw the girl I had been missing since Thursday.

A knot formed in my stomach at the thought of Jared being attracted to Bella, but I realized that it was to be expected. Bella was insanely gorgeous, and I knew how seductive and sexy she could be. But even as just Bella, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Something about her dark chestnut hair, her big brown doe eyes, and her soft pale skin did it for me. Past girls I had dated had been the typical leggy blondes with tanned bodies, which was beautiful in it's own right. But Bella was something entirely different.

Bella looked absolutely stunning tonight in her white dress, black tights, black heels, and black cardigan. The white made her look like an angel, but the black in the rest of her outfit hinted at the devilishness only Rose and I knew was hiding beneath the surface. I had seen her in all black at the club several times, and the tights and heels just reminded me of those times. I could just imagine her soft, lithe little body moving over mine, her hands in my hair, her hips doing wicked things to mine. I could only imagine what she'd be like when I finally got to have her.

If I was imagining all this, then I knew for a fact that Jared was thinking some not-so-nice things of his own.

"That's Bella," I answered, not wanting to be rude. What I really wanted to do was stake claim to her, maybe piss on her foot like a damn dog, something to mark her as mine. But she wasn't mine, at least not officially. One date didn't make her my girlfriend, and that was kind of tearing me apart.

"I think I'm gonna go say hello to Miss Bella," Jared said. Before I could really do anything to stop him or change his mind, he was walking over to her, a certain sway in his step that exuded confidence that I was hoping Bella wouldn't actually fall for. Obviously she was allowed to be interested in whomever she deemed fit, but I really wanted her to only be interested in me.

I glowered at their interaction, Jared offering his hand, and her beautiful smile at him. I knew she was probably only being polite, but her smile could have any man on his knees in a heartbeat. There was a hand on my shoulder that pulled me from my angry glaring. I turned and saw my dad. He was offering me a bottle of beer, one in his own hand. I took it from him and tossed it back, still glaring at where Jared and Bella were talking. Rose caught my eye and she raised her eyebrow at me before minutely nodding toward Bella, as if to say, "you're letting this happen."

"I'm surprised you're letting him anywhere near her," my dad commented before taking a swig of his own drink.

I turned and looked at him, drawing my brows in. "What do you mean?" I wanted to play off my possessiveness, but I was probably doing a terrible job. "He's just introducing himself to her. And I don't have any right to tell her who she can and can't speak to."

"I guess I should have told you Jared is somewhat of a player," he commented. My eyes narrowed at him, prompting him to say more. I had never heard my father use the word 'player' in that context before, which was weird, but there were more pressing matters at hand. "He likes to flirt with all of the nurses. I see him coming out of on-call rooms with different women all the time. He's not exactly the type of person I would want to see pursuing Bella."

Jealousy and anger flared inside me, and I could feel my jaw flexing more as I ground my teeth together. I didn't need Bella anywhere near this guy, even if I wasn't interested in her. She didn't deserve some horny asshole going after her. She deserved someone who would cherish her and love her and give her everything she wanted. I'm not saying I was the perfect guy for that, but I definitely wanted to be. And I definitely knew that Jared was the opposite of all that.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked with a bit of hostility in my voice. I didn't want to be angry with my dad, but he seemed to be trying to rile me up, and it was definitely working.

"I figured since you two are dating, it's some information that you'd want to know." He shrugged as he took another sip of his beer. "I care for Bella, Edward, so this isn't just an issue of her being connected to you, this is an issue of me not wanting anyone to hurt Charlie and Renee's daughter." There was a hard look in his eyes that was telling me to deal with it before he had to get Charlie to deal with it, which I knew would be ugly. I remembered Chief Swan, he was a great man, but he would rip someone to shreds if they deserved it. Someone fucking with his daughter definitely deserved to be ripped to shreds in his eyes. Can't say that I wouldn't agree with him.

"We're not dating," I corrected. "We've been on a date."

My dad rolled his eyes. "Whatever, son. You'll actually be dating in time. Now go deal with Jared."

It was my turn to roll my eyes, but I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and walked over to Bella and Jared. Rose caught my eye again and smirked at me over my mother's shoulder. I had a feeling she wanted Bella and me together almost as much as I did.

As I got closer to them, Bella saw me and the smile that had been laying softly on her face widened, and her brown eyes lit up, making her face come to life. I was glad to know that my presence elicited that reaction from her, which made me feel a little better about dealing with this situation.

"Edward," she greeted, her smile still bright. "I ran into your mom when I was at lunch with a friend. I didn't know you were here; I figured you would still be in Portland."

I took her hand from where it was laying by her side and raised it to my mouth, brushing my lips against the back of it. I saw that amazing blush creep up from her chest to her cheeks. I wondered briefly how far that blush actually reached on her body, but I shook it. I didn't need to start imagining Bella naked while I was at my parents' dinner party.

"We had some new residents start recently, so I was able to get some time off for the holidays. My supervisor felt bad about making me miss Thanksgiving," I admitted. I had guilted Aro into making sure all the possible shifts I had this week were covered. He knew my family and he knew how much being with them during the holidays meant to me, so he was making up for making me miss the family gathering a few weeks earlier.

"Lucky you," she said, a smirk spreading across her face. It was a look she had given me a lot when we were at the club, and the memory of it was not helping the situation that was currently happening below my waist. I tried to dismiss the thoughts, but her hand still in mine was not helping anything. Just feeling the soft skin of her hand made me wonder what the rest of her body would feel like.

"So you two know each other?" Jared said, interrupting the eye contact Bella and I currently had going. I could hear the slight apprehension in his voice at me possibly being a fixture in her life, which I liked.

"If you wanna call it that," Bella said, a giggle forming in her voice. I knew she was talking about her double life, but I doubt she was going to mention it to this guy, so I didn't know where she was going with her comment. "Edward is my best friend's cousin, and we all live in Portland. We happened to grow up in the same town, too."

I was a bit disappointed that she didn't say anything about us recently beginning to see each other, but I moved past it. I knew it was a very real possibility that she didn't see what was going on between us like I did, and I just had to live with that.

"So, you guys are more like acquaintances?" Jared asked, hopefulness replacing his previous tone. I nearly growled at him thinking that he stood a chance with Bella.

He was nothing like some of the guys she had to deal with at the club, and she'd tear him down in an instant if she felt that he was trying to get something from her that she wasn't willing to give. I had seen her do it a few times when guys tried to touch her while she gave lapdances. She always yelled at them and took control of the situation, unafraid of how they might react. She never spared their feelings, which was good, since they didn't deserve it. It was one of the things that I admired about her.

"I wouldn't say that," she disagreed. She looked at Jared and gave him a soft, friendly smile. "Edward and I know each other quite well, actually. I'd say we're pretty close."

I smiled at her and she looked up at me. I loved that she still had to look up at me when she was wearing heels. She was just so small, not as small as Alice, her fiery roommate, but she had a big personality that you almost didn't expect to come out of her. She was an enigma that I never wanted to stop trying to figure out.

Jared was either truly oblivious or he was just doing his best of ignoring the silent interactions between us, but he just kept persisting in his conversation. "What do you do, Bella?"

"I'm a full time student at Portland State," she answered. "And I'm a waitress on the side."

"What are you doing in school?"

"I'm a third year pre-med student," she said. I could tell she was hinting at her young age without flat out telling him that she was only twenty. There was a certain glint in her eyes that was silently telling Jared to get the hint that she was much too young for him. It reassured me that she wasn't actually into this guy, and I was possibly the only person she was seeing. Which did a lot to boost my ego.

"So you're, what, twenty-one?" he wondered, sounding way too hopeful for a potential eight year age gap. I mean, there was four years of difference between Bella and I, but it was more appropriate than between him and Bella.

"I just turned twenty a few months ago, actually," she answered, a sharp edge to her voice that wasn't there before. I knew she was really trying to drive the fact that she was not into him into Jared's head. I wasn't exactly sure if he was getting it.

"Did you do anything fun for your birthday?"

I was about ready to rip my hair out in frustration when Rose and my mom walked up, saddling beside Bella and I, who had been standing next to each other. My mom linked her arm through mine and Rose slid her arm around Bella's waist, creating a line of defense against Jared. I was silently thanking one or both of them for being observant enough to realize Bella was getting irritated and I couldn't do much to help her because I couldn't pull the card that I wanted to.

"Jared, darling, it's good to see you again," my mom said, flashing him a bright smile. He gave a kind smile to my mom and reciprocated her greeting. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal my son and his date away for a few moments. Some family things, you know how that goes."

Without giving Jared the chance to respond, she and Rose whisked Bella and I away, leaving Jared behind by himself. We were pulled to the kitchen, where there were no guests.

Before Bella or I could ask questions, Rose began to answer them.

"I could see the fire in Bella's eyes," she said, her apparently permanent smirk plastered on her face. "When I see that, I know shit's about to go down. Excuse my language, Esme."

"Dear, you know I don't give a damn about your language. I'm not the most eloquent all the time, myself." My mom laughed, causing both Bella and Rosalie to chuckle along. "But Rose is right, I could see Edward doing the thing with his jaw."

"How does anyone even notice that?" I wondered. "I hardly even notice when I do it."

"You've done it since you were very young, dear," my mom said. "I've had a lot of time to pick up on your tells. I advise never playing poker against me. You'd lose."

I shook my head and grinned at my mother. She was a little bit crazy, but I had to love her.

"Emmett does the same thing, so I notice it in other people," Rose said, shrugging one shoulder. "You happen to do it a lot, too."

"It's pretty hot when you do it." Bella said, very nonchalantly. Rose, my mom, and I stared at her before she realized what she had said. She pressed her hand to her mouth, that pretty blush taking up residence on her body again. "Shit, I didn't mean to say that."

Rose laughed heartily at her friend's discomfort while my mother smiled at her knowingly, holding back her laughter. I felt a rush of something that made my chest warm. I don't know if it was her compliment or the fact that I knew she thought about me the same why I thought about her. She had blurted out that she thought I was hot before, like that say I first went to her house. Apparently she had a thing for glasses and my jaw flexing. I needed to start compiling a list and make sure I did them as much as possible.

"It's alright, honey," my mom reassured, laying a hand on her shoulder. "We all knew you were thinking it."

Bella's blush deepened. Rose wound her arm with my mom's and escorted her out of the kitchen, mumbling something about lovebirds.

Bella and I were left alone in the kitchen, which was either great, or the worst idea anyone had come up with. I loved being one-on-one with her, because I wanted as much time with Bella as I could get, but I also had a very strong urge to sit her on the counter while I kissed her. I'd do much more than that once we got further in our relationship, but even kissing her in the kitchen was probably frowned upon at a dinner party.

"Hey," I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper. I stepped closer to her, wanting to be as near to her as possible without invading her personal space. I still wasn't sure what boundaries I was able to cross with her, if any.

"Hey," she echoed, taking a few steps closer to me. We were close enough together that she had to crane her neck to look up at me. So I did the thing that I had been fantasizing about, and I grabbed her by her waist, lifting her to sit her on the counter. She gave a little squeak as I did so, but she wrapped her arms around my neck to stabilize herself.

We were much closer together now than before. Her hands automatically wound into my hair, like it always did at the club. My hands were on her waist, feeling the warmth that seeped from beneath her dress. She softly tugged at the strands between her fingers, making me growl involuntarily. Having my hair pulled was an instant turn on that she abused unwittingly. The amount of times I had to physically restrain myself from grabbing her at the club was astronomical.

Unlike the last time, her lips crashed down on mine. I had been the one to initiate it last Thursday, and I had made sure it was slow and gentle as not to startle her. Her kisses now were faster and more aggressive. It took my brain a split second to catch up to what was happening, but when it did, I returned her kisses with fervor.

Bella's presence was all-consuming. I could smell the warm perfume she was wearing, and that faint smell of strawberries was back. Her legs opened up, allowing me to fit my hips between them, our bodies snug against each other's. She gripped my hips with her thighs as he hands tugged harder on my hair. I groaned, feeling my arousal start to grow. My plan of not doing anything inappropriate at my parents' dinner party was failing horribly.

My teeth grazed her bottom lip, and she mewled as her mouth opened slightly. I darted my tongue out, lightly caressing both her lips and her tongue that came to meet mine. Her legs' grip on my hips tightened slightly, and I balled my hands up in her dress. I needed to grasp to something tightly, but I didn't want to possibly hurt her. Although, the death grip she had on my hair made me think she wouldn't mind me squeezing her waist.

I moved my hands to her waist, giving it a small squeeze before running my hands up and down her sides. I made a few passes before letting my hands come to rest on her hips. She sighed against my mouth when my grip tightened, and I made sure to store that information for future reference.

Bella's hands released their grip on my hair and they trailed down my neck before coming to rest on my shoulders, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Bella's hands just began an adventure down my deltoids when someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

Bella instantly pulled herself away from me, looking at the person over my shoulder. Her was was bright red, probably from our kissing and her present embarrassment. I admired her swollen lips and heaving chest for a moment, before taking a small step back.

"Edward, your mother wanted me to inform you that dinner is ready," my dad said. I wasn't even looking at him and I could hear the smirk in his voice. I was never going to live this down.

* * *

So, as I promised, fun stuff and more time with E & B together. I hope you guys liked it. Some other fun stuff will be happening over the holidays as well, and I look forward to writing about it haha.

What do you guys think about the EPOV? I'm not sure I'm the greatest at male perspective, because I myself am not a male, but I'm trying my best. I wish I had a guy who would sit down with me and tell me how to write for a male part. It would make this a lot more realistic haha.

Oh! And I've posted some more of the outfits from this story to my profile, so go check those out, if you would like. Just a little peek into what I think everything would look like.

As always, tell me what you guys think, and because I haven't written the next chapter, I am open to any and all suggestions about what you want to see. I like hearing from you guys!

Until next time, lovelies!


	16. The One With the Question

Oh my gosh, you guys, I am so fucking sorry for how long this took. My life has been so busy lately, with school, and work, and trying to not be a hermit. I just couldn't find the time to get this out in a timely fashion, and I deeply apologize. I'm obviously breaking my rule of at least two new chapters a week, but I promise to try to make up for it next week. I promise to get started on the next chapter ASAP, so there won't be a week long wait again.

Ugh, anyway, this chapter is just a continuation of the last one, but I promise a bit of a jump and some more fun stuff in the next chapter. I have plans for Christmas that I'm sure you will enjoy :) Someone asked me if Jared was a one time character or if he'd be problematic in later chapters, and all I have to say is that Jared is not going anywhere any time soon ;)

Alright, I won't hold you guys up any longer. Without further ado: the much anticipated and very late chapter fifteen.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN:**

 **BELLA POV**

I avoided all eye contact with Carlisle as we waited to get our food from the Cullen's dining table. I was absolutely mortified that he had walked in on Edward and I making out in his kitchen, on the counter, no less. My face was so hot I thought I would start sweating, and I could feel it all the way to my chest. I had never, in all my years of kissing people, ever been caught by my or anyone else's parents. I was completely traumatized.

Edward's hand was resting on the small of my back, and I could feel his thumb softly stroking up and down. The movement sent small tingles up and down my back, doing nothing to calm my frayed nerves. My body was on fire from the intense makeout session a few minutes earlier, I was still on an adrenaline rush from being caught by Carlisle, and now Edward's hand was just topping it off. I was going to be a mess by the end of the night.

Esme had made all sorts of dishes for the party, mostly finger foods so we wouldn't necessarily have to sit down anywhere. There was definitely not enough seats for everybody, but I don't think anyone minded standing around talking and eating. I tossed whatever I thought looked good onto my plate and quickly situated myself amongst Rose and Emmett, who were chatting with Esme.

Edward was close behind me, and he took a spot next to me in the circle we had formed. He smiled at me and then winked, making me blush for no good reason. Any semblance of composure that I had was just falling apart.

"So, Edward, dear," Esme began. I didn't even have to look at her to see the smirk that was on her face. I mentally prepared myself for whatever she was about to say. "I'd like to ask you to please keep all fornication out of the kitchen, as it is a place where I cook food. Bedrooms and bathrooms are the preferred venue for such activities inside the house."

Emmett had just shoved a dinner roll into his mouth, and he subsequently spit it out as he burst with laughter. He was sputtering and choking but continued to laugh as Rose laughed beside him while patting his back. I knew I was a lovely shade of red right now and I tried to avoid any eye contact with Esme. I could see Edward was lightly blushing, which was still a rare thing that I found amusing, even in my state of embarrassment.

"Dude, you were getting down with Sugar Lips in the kitchen?" Emmett snorted, having dislodged the food from his throat. His face was red from his earlier struggle and his continued laughter. Rosalie was chortling quietly beside him. She shook her head at me when I caught her eye.

"We weren't doing anything remotely close to what you're thinking, Em," Edward defended. Which was true. I'm sure Emmett was envisioning much more crude, sexual things than the makeout session that had actually happened. I definitely wanted those sexual things to happen, though.

"The fact that you got caught doing it, though," Em said, still chuckling slightly. "You guys are too early in the game to be getting caught by parents." He shook his head and gave both of us a look of disappointment. "Amateurs."

* * *

As the night wound down, guests began to leave until it was eventually just the Cullens, Rose, Em and me in the house. Rose and I helped Esme pack up food and clear the house of dishes and trash while the guys loaded the dishwasher and cleaned whatever didn't fit. Edward was doing the washing, and I watched him as he worked.

The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the sinewy muscles beneath. The muscles in his back contracted and relaxed with his movements as he scrubbed dishes. His ass also looked great in the dark grey slacks he was wearing. I had never been so into a man's ass until I had met Edward.

"His ass should be illegal," Rose whispered to me, scaring me a little bit. I hadn't expected her to be by me, much less looking at Edward's backside. Em wasn't in the kitchen though, so I could see why she'd be looking. "How is it so perfectly round and muscular?"

"His ass looks better than mine, and I work on that shit daily," I whispered back, not taking my eyes off of his. "It's not fair."

"It's totally fair to you," Rose argued. When I looked at her, she was rolling her eyes.

"How is that fair to me?" I wondered, genuinely curious. Yeah, it was great to look at, but other than that it really was of no benefit to me.

"Imagine how great his thrusting must be, all that power just stored up in his fabulous glutes. Those are very important muscles, Bella." Rose winked at me then, causing my face to heat up for about the millionth time that night.

"Who says I'll even get to experience that?" I countered. But I really wished I would get to experience that.

"Oh please," Rose scoffed. "You guys are constantly eye-fucking each other. It's only a short matter of time before you guys are doing it for real, your virginity be damned."

Rose's words only prompted the dirty images that had been in my mind constantly since Thursday. After having his lips on mine for the first time, I could only imagine them there over and over again, as well as everywhere else on my body. I knew he could own me with lips like that, and I could only imagine what his tongue could do. And other parts of him.

"Bella, darling, are you planning on driving back to Forks tonight?" Esme asked, startling me out of my fantasies. I tried to suppress my breathing, which had sped up with the images of Edward shirtless on top of me. Esme didn't need to be clued into what I had been thinking about.

"Yeah, I was. I have no intentions of staying at the McCarty's any time soon." I made a face at the thought of having to spend even more time than necessary with Elizabeth. Then I remembered that Esme was related to her. "No offense."

"None taken, dear," Esme chuckled, looping her arm around my waist. "I know my sister can be a bit much. I even like to keep our visits to a minimum, and I've been around her for forty-eight years." Esme rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Anyway, why don't you just stay here tonight, honey? It's late and I don't want you driving in the dark by yourself. I'm sure your parents would understand."

I was a bit touched by her offer, but I knew it probably wasn't the best idea. Edward and I under the same roof for a night could only go so many ways. But, then, Esme probably knew that. She did really want grandchildren, after all.

"Esme, it's okay, really," I assured her, even though I wanted nothing more than to be close to Edward. "I make the trip quite a bit. I'll be fine."

"Bella, I'm not asking, I'm telling you that you're staying here tonight," Esme said, a smile on her face and a mischievous glint in her eye. I heard Rose laugh beside me, and I shot her a look that she just laughed more at.

"Esme, I don't have anything with me," I tried to argue. "All my stuff is at my parents' house."

"I'm sure we could find you something to sleep in, and we always keep a few extra toothbrushes lying around," she amended, her smile persisting. She looked triumphant now, knowing that I really had nothing else left to argue. I had never seen a mother argue so hard to keep the girl that her son was seeing under her roof for a night. Esme was a strange woman.

I sighed, realizing I really didn't have any other arguments against her. "Sure, Esme. Thank you." She beamed at me before entering the kitchen and sitting beside Carlisle who was at the bar eating out of a bowl of M&Ms.

"Carlisle, sweetheart, Bella is spending the night here," she told him. "I won't allow her to drive home this late at night by herself." I saw a smirk spread across her husband's face, and he looked up, first glancing at Edward, who was still washing dishes, and then at me. I bit my bottom lip, trying to do anything but blush again. So much blushing had to be bad for me.

"Of course, dear, I completely understand," he agreed. "I'll make sure one of the guest rooms is ready for you, Bella." He smiled a genuine smile at me instead of his smirk, and I reciprocated, thankful that he was keeping his teasing at bay. I knew he and Esme were going to gossip about it the second Edward and I were out of earshot.

"Thank you," I said.

We all hung out in the kitchen until Edward had washed all the dishes and Emmett had finished drying them and putting them away. Rosalie and I ended up helping him, since he was pretty incompetent in the kitchen, aside from knowing where all the food was at. Rosalie was tired and wanted to get back to his parents' house, and she was growing impatient with him opening and closing all the cabinets to try to find where dishes went.

Once Rose and Em had said goodbye to the rest of us, Carlisle showed me to the guest room I would be staying in. The room was gorgeous, just like the rest of the house, with plus grey carpet, soft blue walls, white crown molding, and I comfy looking queen sized bed with black and white bedding on it. The room had its own bathroom, which was connected to the next bedroom, which was also a guest bedroom. Esme oh-so-innocently informed me that Edward's bedroom was across the hall when she brought some pajamas in for me. I blushed as I took the sleep pants and tank top from her and thanked her. She informed me there were toiletries in the cabinets in the bathroom as she left the room, bidding me goodnight as she closed the door behind her.

I stood and took in the situation, holding the pajamas Esme had given me to my chest. I was in Edward's home, his parents' home, actually. I'm sure Edward called his place in Portland home now. The Cullens' house was less regal than the McCarty's, and probably a thousand square feet smaller, but it was still large compared to the two-bedroom, one bathroom house that I grew up in and my parents still lived in in Forks.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding, and began to undress. I quickly slid on the grey sleep pants that I assumed were Esme's and the black t-shirt she had given me. It had a school logo on the front, Roosevelt High School emblazoned in a ribbon wrapped around a green R with a man riding a horse next to it. Rough Riders, I was guessing, was the mascot. Apparently I was wearing one of Edward's school shirts from high school, which would explain why it was so big on me. Even as a kid in high school, at least a year younger than his peers, Edward was apparently a pretty large guy.

I took to the bathroom to find a toothbrush and toothpaste to brush my teeth. I inspected myself in the mirror, seeing that my makeup had miraculously come through unscathed after the long night. I brushed my teeth and perused the bathroom, opening cabinets to find towels and extra supplies of toilet paper and soap. I was flipping through a collection of magazines when there was a tap on the door behind me.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Edward standing there in a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants. His shoulders were pulling against the material of his shirt, causing his pectoral muscles to strain against it. My mind flashed to the tattoo I knew was there but hadn't seen since Halloween. I was still very curious as to what it was and if there were any more on his amazing body.

 _Maybe there's one somewhere a little more private that I'll be able to discover…._

I moved to spit out the toothpaste that was in my mouth and quickly rinse while I felt Edward's eyes on me. When I dried my mouth, he was still staring at me, his eyes a very intense color of dark green.

"What?" I asked, oh-so eloquently.

"My name is on your back," he said, his voice low. I raised an eyebrow, unsure of what that had to do with anything. I turned by back to the mirror and looked over my shoulder, seeing Cullen printed across the back of the shirt in white letters.

"Yeah, what about it?" I questioned, turning back to face him.

He shook his head as he took a small step toward me. "Nothing." The word was strained and the look in his eyes darkened further. He took two quick steps toward me, closing the distance between us. His hands were on my hips and my butt hit the bathroom counter. Before I could really process anything, his lips were on mine, his tongue instantly darting out to lick my lips.

My heart rate jumped, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, my fingers quickly finding his soft strands of hair. I felt his fingers press harder into my hips, causing that strange buzzing sensation to run straight to that very neglected area below my waist. His teeth gently pulled on my bottom lip, causing my mouth to open just enough for his tongue to slide its way in to meet mine. He tasted like bourbon and something sweet, probably the chocolate that had been sitting on the kitchen counter.

I tugged gently at the hair that was intertwined in my fingers, something that I did a lot at the club during dances with Edward. I loved his hair, in all its wild craziness. It constantly looked like he just had sex, and I wondered what it would actually look like right after sex.

Edward growled lowly, causing my body to flush. I could feel it in my face and down my chest. His hands moved up from my hips, sliding under the edge of the shirt I was wearing and making contact with the skin above the waistband of the sleep pants. The muscles of my stomach tensed and goosebumps erupted across my skin. His fingers dragged lightly up my sides, stopping on my ribs where he rested his hands. His thumbs stroked along the skin there, brushing the underside of my breasts, causing me to gasp.

Edward's lips left mine, instead traveling across my cheek and down my jaw, pressing open mouth kisses there. His lips met my neck, and I knew I was fucked. My neck was super sensitive, and it went from zero to one hundred real quick whenever it started getting attention. I gasped at the new sensation, and my entire body tensed, causing me to involuntarily pull at his hair again. This elicited another growl, louder this time.

"Bella," he whispered, his breath fanning against my neck. "Unless you want to start something, I suggest you stop pulling my hair." I felt his lips pull up into a smirk against my skin before I felt his tongue lightly drag against my neck, causing me to gasp again.

"Start what, exactly, Edward?" I asked, my voice coming out much more breathless than I meant it to.

His hands slid back down to my hips, gripping tightly as he pulled my hips closer to his, pressing his very prominent arousal against me. I wanted to smirk at the reaction I had been able to pull from his body without really trying, but I repressed it

"I think you know what, Bella." His mouth moved from my neck, which I mourned for a split second, before he gently nipped at my ear lobe, which felt amazing. I don't know how I hadn't discovered this before, but I couldn't remember a time in the past when a guy had touched my ears. With the sensations it was causing to run through my body, it was quickly becoming a new favorite.

I pushed him gently away from me, and when he gave me a confused look, I kept pushing on his chest, moving him backwards out of the bathroom, through the door to the bedroom. He kept walking back until his legs hit the foot of the bed, and he promptly bent his knees, sitting on the end. His eyes locked onto mine as I stood over him, his intensely dark, like I'd seen them a few times before in the club. I knew the look of lust in a man's eyes well, but Edward's was different. Even though I could see the primal urges hidden there, there was also a longing that was rooted in emotions, not hormones.

Setting a knee on either side of his hips, I lowered my body onto his lap, wrapping my arms across his shoulders again and softly scratching my nails against his scalp. His eyes closed at my ministrations and he sighed. I bent and kissed the tip of his nose and a smile spread across his face. The serene look disappeared in an instant, replaced with those burning eyes staring into mine after I tugged on his hair. I loved getting him to growl for me. It was a major turn on that I had never really known about.

Edward's hands slid under my shirt, and he gripped onto my waist. I took this opportunity and new position to grind my hips down onto his. He hissed as his head dropped back and his eyes shut. I smirked while his eyes were closed so he wouldn't see me being all cocky about making him react like this. Even though I hadn't had sex before, I definitely knew how to do all the stuff leading up to it, and I made damn sure that I was good at it.

As I continued to press my body into his, his hands moved down to my hips, gripping them and forcing them to move more firmly over his. My center pressed straight down onto cock, and it slid against it as I rocked on top of him. I let out a soft moan, surprising myself. I hadn't expected the sudden contact, but I was loving it, and so was Edward. He was looking up at me, his breathing labored and his lips pulled up into that sexy smirk.

"Can I help you?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, I think I'm good," he answered, chuckling a little. He stilled his hands and moved them to below my ass. He scooted me further up his body before standing, cradling me to the front of him. He walked around to the side of the bed and pulled back the covers before setting me down in them. "We should stop, anyway."

My jaw nearly dropped open. "Seriously?" I questioned. I was miffed for a moment, but then my brain caught up to the situation. "Oh, I suppose we're in your parents' house."

"True," he agreed. "But, I want it to be a little different if we ever have sex. Not exactly the most romantic setting." He smiled at me as he pulled the blankets up around my body.

"How sweet of you, but who said anything about sex?" I wondered, smirking at him. "We could still do plenty of other stuff."

"And that's the part I don't want to be in my parents' house for," he said. "Nobody but me needs to hear your screams."

My body flushed at his words, imagining what exactly he'd be doing that would cause me to scream.

I pushed aside the mentions of sexual things for a moment. "Stay with me, please."

He gave me a sheepish smile. "I was hoping you'd ask."

Edward walked over and flipped the lightswitch off. I could see his shadow in the dark, making its way back over to the other side of the bed. He pulled the blankets back and slid in, pulling them back up around him. I scooted toward him hesitantly, wanting to be in his embrace but not wanting to impose myself on him. Maybe he wasn't a cuddler and me being close to him was uncomfortable. I didn't want to force my closeness on him when he wasn't okay with it.

My worrying was for naught, though, because he slung his arm across my waist and pulled our bodies together. He was warm against me, and he smelled amazing. His strange combination of cologne and something that was purely him was the best thing I had ever smelled, and I couldn't get enough of it. I tried to be discreet about taking large lungfuls of air from against his chest, but I'm sure I was failing at it.

I sighed and burrowed myself a little closer to his body, wrapping my own arm around his middle. His hand slowly rubbed up and down my back, pressing in lightly along my muscles. I was constantly tense, so having him gently massaging my back was lovely. It was so lovely, I kind of mewled, and I heard Edward chuckle a little.

"Bella?" he whispered, his voice questioning. He sounded slightly sheepish, which was a strange way to describe Edward. He was typically sure of himself and confident.

"Yes, Edward?" I asked. I was curious as to what was on his mind.

"Never mind," he mumbled, pressing his face into my hair. I felt like he was slowly inhaling deeply against me, which kind of put us on the same playing field, since I was still breathing him in.

"You can't do that. You already started, now finish," I demanded.

"You sure are demanding for someone who's staying in my house," he joked. He laughed, and I could feel the rumble of the sound reverberate through his chest.

"Technically, this is your parents' house, and you're mom forced me to stay," I corrected. "But don't change the subject."

"It's nothing, really," he said. He pressed his face back into my hair, like that indicated the end of the conversation.

"It was obviously something, since you brought it up. Now tell me."

"But-" I cut him off.

"No 'buts'," I said. "Now tell me."

He sighed. "Fine, fine. Jesus, Bella." He released an arm from my waist and ran his hand through his hair, a sign that he was tense. I wondered what he was thinking about that could make him so unsure of himself and so…not Edward.

"I know we haven't really known each other as just Edward and Bella for that long," he began. He pulled back after replacing his arm around my waist, and he looked at my eyes, even though it was pretty dim in the bedroom. I felt the intensity, though, which was so different from the carnal intensity we had experienced just a few minutes earlier.

"No, I suppose we haven't," I agreed. I had thought about that a lot too, and I was worried if he would come back to the lies I had told him at the beginning of our strange relationship. He had come to terms with it so easily, and I wasn't sure if he was really just holding his true feelings inside. Maybe he was going to tell me that he wasn't okay with me lying to him for a few months and having to find out by accident instead of me actually telling him. I'd be pretty pissed at me, too. Although, he didn't seem upset by any means.

"But, I did get to know you pretty well as just Bambi, and although you couldn't tell me the whole truth, I know you were truthful about the things that mattered," Edward continued. "And I liked the person I was spending my weekend nights with, much beyond the dancing. And when I met you at the Halloween party, I liked you for just Bella, my cousin's friend and roommate. I was pretty fucked up for the few weeks I thought they were two different people." He chuckled. "I was developing feelings for the stripper at a club I went to, but I couldn't get the girl in the Catwoman costume out of my head. It's why I told you I wasn't going to be coming into the club anymore. I couldn't deal with my feelings.

"But getting to know you as both Bella and Bambi has been a lot of fun, and I want to continue doing it. It was kinda a relief when I figured out you were one person." He grinned at me, and I gave him a small smile back. "I want to be around you all the time, Bella. Not seeing you for a few days has been making me kinda antsy, honestly. I don't know what it is about you, but I always want you by my side. I'm kind of getting off track now."

It was my turn to chuckle. "Just say what you want to say, then, Edward. It's okay to be blunt sometimes," I assured him.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Bella?"

* * *

Cliffie? Not really, but I felt the conversation didn't really need to be continued :) So now Bella knows exactly why Edward had stopped coming to the club, what do you think her reaction to that is going to be?

Anything you guys want to see in the next chapter? I can tell you right now that it will be on Christmas day, and it will be focused on Bella at her parents' house with some of her friends from Forks. I haven't decided on whether Edward will make an appearance, but we shall see. Give me suggestions you guys :)

I promise you it will not be a week until the next time I update. I will do everything in my power to make sure that does not happen. I feel so bad about making you guys wait this long D:

Until next time, lovelies!


	17. The One with Christmas

Hello, my lovelies! As promised, not a long wait. I am still so sorry about the last chapter, I feel awful D: but I promise to try my hardest to not do that again. That being said, I will try to post at least one more time by Friday, but I will be visiting some family this weekend, so I'm not sure how much writing will get done. Then again, who knows? I might be inspired and write a whole shit ton for you guys to read once I get back.

Here is the next chapter, Bella is at home for Christmas with some surprise cameos! I promise the whole gang will be back together next chapter, along with plenty more Edward ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

 **BELLA POV**

 _Christmas Day_

Whoever decided to host Christmas day in our small ass house was an idiot. But, then, it was probably my mom who proposed it, so I couldn't be too upset. My mom hated having an empty house, and she had found every excuse to have people in it since I moved out.

Our house was filled with my grandparents, my dad's friends, Harry Clearwater and Billy Black, and their small families. My father had been friends with Harry and Billy for as long as I could remember, but I had met them very few times in my life. They lived on the local reservation, which was on the coast. Due to my accident prone childhood, my mom wouldn't let me accompany my dad on fishing trips, which was fine, since I didn't really enjoy fishing anyway. But I had been told one time that Billy and Harry had kids around my age that I had always wanted to play with. I never got to meet them, though. I hadn't even set foot on the reservation until I was eighteen, and that was for a party I went to in high school. No one but people from Forks High had been there.

Today was the first time that I was being introduced to Billy and Harry's families. Billy was a widower, but he had brought along his daughters, Rachel and Rebecca. They were twins with long silky black hair and that classic russet skin color. They were beautiful and they seemed really nice, hugging my dad when they entered the house and greeting my mom kindly. They each had dishes in their hands, which my mom and grandma took from them.

They then turned their attention to me, greeting me with wide smiles. They gushed about how much they had heard about me over the years and how beautiful I was. I blushed lightly at their compliments, but I appreciated being called beautiful by these very beautiful women. I learned they were two years older than me, but they had a brother who was my age. When they said that he was a junior at PSU, my blood ran a little cold.

 _Shit, how hadn't I put the pieces together before?_

"Is he coming here today?" I asked, my body tense. I tried to sound nonchalant, but I was actually dreading their answer. Hoping against all hope that he wouldn't show up. I could handle him at school when I was allowed to be as brash as I needed to, but I wasn't sure how this would go when I was around my family. My family that expected me to be kind and proper, especially when my grandparents were around. Grandma Swan would have a heart attack if I ever cussed around her.

"Yeah, he should be here any minute. He had to drive back today since he had work last night," Rebecca explained.

In that moment, there was a knock at the door, and my dad quickly opened it. There, in the doorway, was the one person I didn't really want to see on Christmas Day. I was hoping he could behave himself around our families for a few hours.

"Well, speak of the devil, and he shall appear," Rachel mumbled, chuckling with her sister.

My back was facing the door, so he spotted his sisters first. "Rach, Becky!" he shouted. I cringed at the sound of his voice, but his sisters didn't seem to notice. He brushed past me as he pulled them into a group hug. I scooted out of the way so Billy could roll his wheelchair closer to his son. I turned my back to avoid him seeing me when he greeted his dad.

I tried to engage in conversation with my mom, grandma, and Sue, Harry's wife. Leah, their daughter, was sitting on the couch, listening to the conversation, but not really participating in it. Leah had a subtle beauty about her, which would probably be more apparent if she didn't look like she was mad all the time. I didn't want to ask her about it, but I'm sure my mom had all the details if I wanted to know later.

I thought I was safe from our new guest, but he entered our group to greet Sue and Leah and introduce himself to my mom and grandmother. I had nowhere to turn to hide now, so I was stuck being faced with my ex-fling in my childhood home.

"Bells? What are you doing here?" he asked, his brow pulling in.

"You two know each other?" Rebecca asked, having migrated over to the rest of us. Our fathers had also joined in, watching the transaction taking place.

"Bells and I go to school together," Jacob answered. He left it at that, and I was thankful he didn't bring up our short-lived fling our freshman year. At least he could reign in his obnoxiousness when it mattered.

"Well, this is my house and my family," I answered, trying not to be rude since he was being tolerable.

"I didn't realize you and Jake didn't already know each other," Billy commented.

"I wasn't allowed onto the rez," I said, shrugging. "I met Jake our freshman year at PSU. He was frat brothers with my best friend. We see each other a bit in Oregon. I didn't realize he was related to you until about five minutes ago."

"Bells and I knew each other real well our freshman year, didn't we?" Jake's eyes bored into mine, a mischievous glint in his eye that I didn't find even a little bit endearing, unlike the one Em usually had in his. I glared at Jake, telling him with the daggers in my eyes to shut the hell up. If he wanted his scrotum still attached to his body by the end of the day, he'd better keep his mouth shut.

"Yeah, we had an English class together," I agreed, trying to cover up our indiscretions. I didn't need anyone in this room knowing Jake had fingered me in my dorm room several times that year. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but I definitely didn't need it being common knowledge to my family. Especially not my poor, innocent grandmother.

"Exactly what I was thinking," he said with a nod of his head. I nearly scoffed at him, knowing that was definitely not what he was thinking. But I was glad he was willing to keep the actual details between him and me.

Tension between Jake and I dissipated and everyone resumed normal conversation. We were all just waiting on lunch to be ready. My mom and grandma had made a turkey and a ham, as well as several side dishes. Rebecca and Rachel had brought some casserole and macaroni salad. Sue had baked a few pies for dessert, and I had provided the ice cream to go with it. I was still a little apprehensive of doing any real cooking, especially since I still had the stitches in my thumb. They could come out in another few days, but the skin still looked a little pink and irritated.

The turkey was being pulled out of the oven when there was a knock at the door. I looked around curiously, taking in the faces around me. I couldn't really think of anyone that was missing, since everyone that really mattered in Forks was here, as well as people that I wasn't exactly close to. I saw Leah's face light up for the first time that afternoon, and I wondered who could be at the door. Did she have a boyfriend she was expecting?

Renee moved to open the door, and Leah was right behind her, waiting for the person to enter. In the doorway, stood a familiar figure in even more familiar clothing.

"Seth!" Leah greeted excitedly. She threw her arms around his shoulders, and he wrapped his hands around her middle. He beamed widely down at the woman in his arms. I wondered if they were dating, and if they were, why hadn't she moved to Portland with him. She was an adult.

"Hey, how's my little big sister?" he greeted.

 _Oh, Seth is a Clearwater, too. They're siblings. This is slightly less weird._

Seth was right about the 'little' comment. While Leah was nearly exactly the same height as me, Seth towered above both of us, nearly as tall as Edward and slightly taller than Jake. I hadn't really realized his height at the hospital, considering I was focused on my very open wound.

"Is everyone in Portland originally from Forks?" I wondered aloud. I was intending for it to be more of an inner musing, but I had voiced it by accident, and several people heard me.

Seth's eyes landed on me, and then they flashed to my thumb, which was hanging down by my side. I had taken to just leaving it uncovered lately, so they stitches were clearly visible to him. I found it kind of add that Seth remembered his patients by their injury and not their face. But, I guess after working in a hospital for a while, details just started blending together.

"It's Bella, right?" Seth asked, releasing his sister. He came over and shook my hand before taking my left one between both of his. He inspected the sutures before smiling to me. "It looks like it's healing nicely. You should be able to take them out in a few days."

"You two know each other?" Leah asked, mimicking Rebecca's question from earlier. I was hoping this was the last person from Portland that walked into my house today so that I could stop hearing that inquiry.

"He was the nurse there when I went to the emergency room last week," I supplemented. "I cut myself with a knife while making dinner."

"And Bella is the girl Edward won't shut up about," Seth said, a smirk pulling at his lips. I blushed at the mention of my boyfriend.

My boyfriend. It was so strange to say that, especially in regards to Edward, the man I had been swooning over for months. The mysterious patron who spent his weekends in my club, paying me for dances. I hadn't even said the word 'boyfriend' associated with myself since I was in high school. It was a surreal thing for me.

"Edward as in Edward Cullen?" my mother asked excitedly, butting in at the time that was most interesting to her. Renee hadn't shut up about Esme's son since they had met and talking about him on Thanksgiving. I had failed to mention to her that Edward and I were seeing each other and actually in a relationship, since I didn't want her freaking out over it during the holidays. She'd insist on meeting him, and I didn't think Edward was ready for Renee's type of crazy just yet.

"The one and only," Seth affirmed. "He's a resident at the hospital I work at. He's the one that stitched up Bella's hand."

"Isabella Marie," my mom reprimanded. "Why didn't you tell me you'd seen Edward again?" She looked genuinely hurt, but I knew better than to fall for my mom's theatrics.

I rolled my eyes. "Because you would have driven down to Portland in order to meet him and have us going on dates. I wasn't going to subject Edward to that." Even though Renee and Esme were basically the same person, Edward had to love his mother. He'd probably be beyond annoyed with mine.

"Well, have you?" she questioned. There was an expectant look on her face.

"Have I what?"

"Have you gone on dates with him?"

"We may have gone on one. And then I saw him at the dinner party I went to at the Cullens' home the other day." I figured just getting straight to the point with my mother was better than beating around the bush. If I just alluded to things, she'd basically beat my psyche until she got the answers she wanted. It was just easier to tell her things outright.

"That's all you guys have seen each other?" Seth asked, sounding surprised. "He's talked about you a lot longer than just these last two weeks."

"Well, we met at a party on Halloween," I said, telling them the lie I had been spewing for two years now. "But I hadn't seen him since then until I went to the ER."

"Bella, I have to meet this man," Renee demanded. I rolled my eyes and just nodded to appease her, but there was no way in hell she was coming within ten miles of Edward if I could help it. She squealed at my approval, and I refrained from covering my ears.

My dad sidled up beside me and chuckled. He slung his arm across my shoulders. "Good luck handling your mother, Bells."

* * *

Christmas day passed in a blurr. We all sat around the house and ate once all introductions had been made. I ate way too much, and I was thankful that I couldn't get back to work until my stitches came out. That gave me at least another week of being able to hit the gym and work off all the extra weight I had put on during the holidays. I'd have to talk Rose into coming with me more often.

We exchanged presents among the families. My parents and I were waiting until tonight to do gifts for each other, since everyone had gotten here kind of early. The Blacks got me gift cards to Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and a few clothing stores, which I'm sure was Rebecca and Rachel's idea. Billy seemed like he didn't know much about girls, even though he had raised two of them. The Clearwaters gave me a couple lotto scratchers, which I won forty bucks on, and Sue had crocheted me a beautiful scarf, which I very much appreciated. Portland was pretty bipolar with its weather for the most part, but it had been pretty chilly lately, and it would probably stay that way until about February.

The Blacks and Clearwaters left in the early evening, going off to spend Christmas evening with their extended families. Jake bid me an awkward goodbye, saying he'd see me around school and hoped to see me at more parties. Whatever parties of his I was attending, Edward was guaranteed to be there too. Jacob Black's weird interest in me was creepy at best.

After they left, it was just my parents and my grandparents left, and we did presents between the five of us. I had gotten Grandma Swan a fifty dollar gift card to Michaels, that way she'd be able to buy all the yarn her little knitting heart desired, and a white serving dish with a grape design on it to go with the theme of her kitchen. I got Grandpa Swan a renewed fishing license, which I also got Charlie, and a new tackle box for the both of them. I got Renee a set of acrylic paints and new paint brushes, as well as some more clay. Her artsy streak was still alive and well, which was evidenced by the canvases laying in their garage.

My grandparents gave me a stack of cash and a gas card, which was honestly the greatest gift ever. I know people made a big deal about sentimental stuff, but my grandparents knew me well, and as their only grandchild, they got to know my tastes. Cash was great.

My parents gave me a rectangular jewelry case with a bow tied on top. Opening it up, I saw there was a bracelet with two little charms on it. One was a heart with my birthstone in the center, and the other was a little silver charm that looked like a house. I smiled at them and thanked them as Renee helped me put it on.

As we were sitting in front of the fire and TV that night after we exchanged gifts, munching on leftovers from lunch, I got a text from Edward.

 _Hey beautiful, Merry Christmas. How was your day?_

I smiled at the screen of my phone as I replied, and I could see my mother side-eying me while she pretended to be watching the movie on TV.

 _Merry Christmas, Edward. Turns out my dad's best friends have sons. Apparently I've been living very close with Jacob Black and Seth Clearwater and I didn't even know it._

It took him a minute or two to respond back to me.

 _Seth as in the nurse at OHSU?_

 _Yep, the one & only. _

_How did you not figure that out?_

 _Renee wouldn't let me on the rez as a kid. Never got to meet families._

 _The Quileute rez?_

 _Yea_

 _I never knew Jake or Seth belonged to that tribe._

 _Neither did I, but apparently they're bffs._

 _Strange._

 _Tell me about it._

"Who are you texting, Bells?" Charlie asked, breaking me away from my phone. My cheeks flushed, embarrassed at being caught, even though I was an adult who didn't even live at home anymore.

"Just Edward," I mumbled. I knew Charlie wouldn't press the matter, but I knew that Renee would. I glanced over at her, and I could see the joy in her eyes.

Charlie just nodded while Renee was bursting to speak. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she finally opened her mouth.

"When am I going to meet this allusive gentleman suitor of yours?"

I could feel my face screw up into a strange look. "Suitor? Mom, this isn't the nineteenth century. He's my boyfriend." It felt more strange to say the word out loud than to think it to myself.

"Boyfriend? You never said he was your boyfriend! When did this happen?" Renee was sitting on the edge of her seat, literally, getting as close to me as possible without actually getting up to sit in my lap.

"My sweet Bella has a boyfriend?" Grandma Swan butted in, a dreamy look in her eyes. If I thought my mom was a romantic, my grandma was the queen of romance. She loved all things sappy and lovelorn. You'd think her and my mom were actually related, but Grandma Swan was her mother-in-law.

"It's a relatively new development," I admitted.

"He best be treating you right, chickadee," my grandpa commented, not even taking his eyes off the screen. My grandfather didn't talk often, but when he did it was usually with conviction. His comment meant he'd happily hunt down and hurt Edward if he ever hurt me, which I doubt would ever happen.

"He's a gentleman, Gramps," I assured him.

 _Though, we did meet at the strip club I work at. But I feel like that says more about me than him._

"Good."

"Wait, so when did you guys become official?" Renee took up again.

"Sunday at his parents' dinner party." I wouldn't tell her exactly when. My parents thought I had spent the night at the McCarty's house, not the Cullens'. "It really isn't a big deal." The heat spreading across my cheeks and down my neck belied my words. I was beyond excited that Edward wanted to be my boyfriend, I could just never let that on to my family. They wouldn't stop hounding me until I coughed up every detail.

"Not a big deal?" Grandma Swan asked, sounding outraged. "Bella, sweetie, you have a boyfriend for the first time since high school. Now, tell me more about him."

I couldn't deny my grandmother any detail about Edward once I got started. I loved everything about him, and I wanted to scream how perfect he was to the world from the top of a mountain. I relayed to her his occupation, which she nodded approvingly at, and how handsome he was. She demanded for a picture, so I pulled him up on my private Instagram, which I now followed him on. (I used to only follow him on my public one, since I was Bambi on that one, but since the cat was out of the bag, I followed him on the one where I was just Bella.) She hemmed and hawed over his pretty green eyes and his unruly but gorgeous hair.

Renee was looking over my grandma's shoulder now. She began to fan herself as they stumbled upon a picture of him from Halloween, when he was in nothing but scrub pants. He had lost the lab coat at some point during the night, since it did get really hot in the frat house with all the bodies.

"Jeez, Bella, you sure know how to pick 'em," Renee commented, winking at me.

"I'll say," Grandma Swan agreed, nodding along. I laughed as my dad made a disapproving sound.

"No one wants to hear your thoughts on a twenty-something year old's body," he gruffed. "How old is Edward, anyhow?"

"He's twenty-four," I answered.

"Ooh, an older man," my grandma sighed, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Grandma! You're nearly as bad as Rose and Alice," I laughed.

"I always liked those girls."

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to a few texts: one from Rose, one from Angela, and one from Edward. I read Rose's first, since I received her's before the rest.

 _Hey, hope you had a great Christmas! Are you heading back today?_

I quickly typed out a response for her.

 _Yeah, leaving in a few hours. Are we making dinner tonight or ordering Chinese?_

 _Chinese sounds good. I did my fair share of cooking over the holidays._

With the conversation with Rose finished, I moved onto Angela's.

 _Hey! I'm visiting you over the weekend in Portland. Ben has a thing to go to, so I figured we could drop by and do presents. We're on our way already. Let me know when ur gonna be home to do stuff._

 _I'm heading back ina few hours. I'm actually doing presents with friends tonight, if you guys wanna swing by, too. The more the merrier._

 _Sweet! We'll be there. What time?_

 _Probs like 7. Come whenever._

 _Sure thing, Bells. See you tonight._

I smiled at the prospect of seeing my best friend. I hadn't seen Angela since a few days before Thanksgiving, and it had been even longer since I had seen Ben. I'd be seeing them a lot more in the coming year, with the wedding coming together. And eventually with the birth of their baby.

I moved onto the last text I had.

 _Good morning, beautiful. I hope you don't mind that Emmett invited me to your guys' Xmas thing tonight. And that my mom stole ur # from my phone. You may be getting dragged along to lunch with her this weekend._

 _Good morning. Of course I don't mind, I feel like it's been forever since I last saw u. Is ur mom in Portland this weekend?_

 _I want to see u :) and yeah, she is. Dad's on a trip and she hates being alone._

 _I want to see u too :) tell her I'm more than willing to go to lunch with her._

 _Good, i'll see u later, sweetheart. Drive safe 3_

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I got all my stuff packed and said goodbye to my parents that morning. I was sad to be leaving my family, but I'd be spending the weekend with some of my favorite people. Everyone was back in town, and Angela would be getting to spend some time with us. I couldn't be more excited about an evening.

* * *

So, there we have it. I tried to bring the characters full circle to fit the books. Hope you don't think it's too hoaky.

How do you like her grandma? Because I unintentionally drew inspiration from my own grandmother aha.

I need gift inspiration for the next chapter, because the only gift I have down is Alice's D: so gifts between the friends would be great! Leave me a review and tell me what you guys think!

Next chapter we will get the friend Christmas, and depending on how long that gets, a jump to New Years, where I have some plans for the friends :) There's lots of fun to be had ;)

Until next time, lovelies!


	18. The One with Friend Christmas

Oh my god! I am so sorry you guys! I did that thing that I promised I would never do again. But it wasn't my fault, really. I had this chapter all ready to go, I just had to wait to get to the hotel to be able to post is Friday. I was all ready, it was basically just waiting for me to add the author notes and name it. I get to the hotel, and lo and behold, there's no damn wifi. I was horrified, not only because I had to post this, but because I had homework to do that requires I have an internet connection on my laptop. So, needless to say, when I got back home today, I did all my homework and now I am here posting this. I truly apologize, but this one was actually out of my hands.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. A few of you said you were looking forward to friend Christmas, so I hope this doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

 **BELLA POV**

I couldn't even make it out of my car before I was being tackled by the little pixie I lived with. Alice's arms wrapped around me uncomfortably tight as I prepared to step out of my car. I had only pulled into a spot thirty seconds ago, so she must have been watching for me from our apartment.

"Bella! I missed you so much! One week is much too long to be away from each other!" She was shouting in my ear, which made me cringe, but I couldn't help laughing and hugging her back. Even though this greeting was a bit much, I had to agree with her. I missed Al and Rose a lot when we weren't together, even if it was only for a week. I could go a few days without them, mostly to keep a grip on my sanity, but a week was too long. We lived together for a reason.

"I missed you too, Ali," I told her, rubbing her back with both of my hands. "Can we hug more inside, though? It's kinda cold out here, and I want to get my shit inside."

She released me and beamed as she let me out of the car. "Of course. Let me help you with your stuff. Em has a fire going inside."

One great thing about living in a place where it was genuinely cold for a portion of the year: there were fireplaces in most housing options, even apartments. It could get really warm in the summer, but the winters were just as brutal sometimes. We'd have days where it never got above freezing, but a week later it'd be seventy-five degrees outside. There were no such thing as summer or winter wardrobes; you had to have tank tops and fuzzy jackets in your closet at all times.

Alice helped me get my bags out of my trunk and started to relay her holiday break back home in California as we walked to the complex. Alice's family lived in SoCal, so her Christmas day was a sunny seventy-five degrees, which I wasn't jealous of in the slightest. I enjoyed my cold weather and my warm weather, and I liked to have distinct seasons.

As we stepped through the door of our apartment, I was pulled into a hard chest by beefy arms.

"Baby Bells! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Emmett shouted, squeezing the air out of my lungs. I hit his back so he'd free me, and he eventually set me down, smiling widely at me.

"I saw you a week ago, Em," I commented, picking up my dropped bags. I walked down the hallway to my room, and Emmett followed behind me.

"I know, Sweet Cheeks, but that's too long to go without my Bella fix," he pouted.

"That's what I told her," Alice interjected, popping up beside Emmett.

We finally entered my room, and I dropped my bags onto my bed and motioned for Alice to do the same. She promptly opened all of them and began sorting things with me, while Emmett sat himself on my bed.

"I missed you guys, too, but you're acting like it was a month instead of a week," I said, chuckling. I started compiling a mound of dirty clothes and folded all the clothes that didn't get worn or were able to get washed while I was in Forks. "Where's Rose, by the way?" I noticed she hadn't greeted me when I came home like Alice and Emmett had.

"She's at the grocery store getting some essentials," Em said. He laid back on my bed and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, the apartment was pretty barren when I got back. Like, not even milk or eggs were in the fridge," Alice said. She took all of my dirty clothes into her arms and dumped them into my clothes basket.

"Did we all agree on Chinese for dinner?" I asked, remembering my text conversation with Rose that morning.

Alice and Em both nodded.

"Oh, Angela and Ben are in town, and they're coming over tonight," I informed them.

"Ooh! Is she showing yet?" Alice asked excitedly. Her eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, I need to get her a present! Bella! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She smacked my arm lightly and glared at me.

"I just found out this morning, Alice," I said, glaring back at her. "Besides, Ang doesn't expect anything. She hates that I even buy her anything." I rolled my eyes, remembering all the protesting over the years. "Besides, I'm sure you'll make up for it at her wedding and baby shower."

"Oh, I have plans for that," she said, getting a glassy look in her eyes, something that always happened when she was thinking of shopping. She snapped out of it quickly. "You never told me whether or not she's showing."

I shook my head and smiled at her fickleness. "Yeah, she is a little bit. Her belly is really hard. She says she's feeling kicks, but Ben can't feel anything yet."

"I can't wait until Rosie and I have a baby," Emmett commented, sounding more like he meant to say it to himself more than to us.

Alice and I just kind of looked at him, before looking at each other, and then looking at back at him. It was a perfect sitcom moment, which happened to us a lot. We had always said that we should have our own TV show, but it had never happened for us.

"What?" we asked at the same time. Emmett looked sheepish.

"I want kids with Rosie one day, sue me," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "She's the love of my life. I want a bunch of little hers running around."

"Does Rose know this?" I asked him. This was the first anyone was hearing of Emmett wanting children, and I had no idea how Rose felt about this, except for the few comments she had made about not even wanting to consider having kids until she had an established career.

"No, I don't think so, we haven't talked about it," he admitted. He moved one arm to scrub his hand over his face. "We've only ever talked about getting married someday, and that's not even a sure thing. Anytime we talk about it, she says that she'd marry me, but she doesn't really imagine marriage is for her. Like, she'd rather just commit herself to me without the legal part of it. But I don't see marriage as just a legal arrangement."

Both Alice and I set what we were doing aside and laid down on either side of Emmett. We both looked up at him and observed the emotions playing across his face. I saw sadness and fleeting anger, as well as a slight smile, probably thinking about Rose.

"Em, you guys should really talk more seriously about all this stuff. You've been dating for four, almost five, years," I told him. "She has to expect that you want to get married at some point. And from what Rose and I have discussed, she's pretty down to get married, too."

"Yeah, and watch how she acts around Angela tonight," Alice said. "She loves talking to pregnant women about being a mom. She wants kids even if she doesn't know that she wants kids."

The door opened and slammed shut then, causing us all to look toward my open door.

"I know all of you are here," Rose shouted. "You hoes better help me carry in and put away the groceries."

"Bonding moment over," Emmett sighed, and Alice and I laughed.

* * *

"Bella, when are you going back to work?" Rose asked me as we were pouring drinks together in the kitchen. Everyone was here now, and we had just finished eating our delicious Chinese takeout, and we were all settling down, getting ready to open presents.

"Well, I think I can take these bad boys out by Monday or Tuesday," I said, running a finger over the stitches in my left hand. "I'll try to get back in on Wednesday and Thursday, if that's the case. I don't think I'll work the weekend, though. A couple weeks is a long time to be off the pole. And New Year's weekend is too big."

Rose nodded. "Have you given anymore thought into finding another job?"

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. I hadn't, really, considering my thoughts had been filled with Edward and the holidays. Working at the club was my normal, and I was pretty content with my normal. And now that Edward and I were actually together, that feeling of inadequacy and uncertainty Rose had assumed stemmed from my job had gone. I obviously knew I couldn't work at the club forever, and I by no means wanted to, but I had no other options at the moment. I was starting a medical assistant course once the spring semester started, and it would run into the summer. I planned on getting a job in the field after that, but that was a while off. I'm not sure I really had anything else to possibly line up between now and then.

"Not exactly," I shrugged. "If something presents itself, I'll take it, but I've got a pretty solid plan right now, and it doesn't involve a change in professions until the fall."

"As long as you don't think stripping is going to put some sort of strain on your relationship." Rose corked the wine bottle she had in her hands before setting it down on the counter. We had poured glasses for her, Alice, and me, and there were beers prepared for the guys. Angela was content with her water, even though I had offered her sparkling cider.

"We haven't talked about it," I admitted. "But you and Emmett are doing just fine."

"Emmett and I are also having sex, something you and the good doctor are not," Rose smirked, putting her glass to her lips.

I pursed my lips at her comment. "Not yet," I grumbled. I really did want to, because I felt a connection with Edward that I had never felt before, but I was unsure whether or not it was too soon. I felt comfortable with him, and, even though we hadn't discussed it, I was almost one hundred percent positive he wasn't a virgin. He was with Lauren for awhile, and I'm sure there were girls before that. Plus, he was gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to have their way with him?

"And I know it probably won't be long before you do," Rose giggled. "But that physical part of our relationship supplements the emotional and psychological part. We're secure in each other. That's why we work. You and Edward are new; you don't know you're whole dynamic yet."

"I'll talk to him about it when we get a chance," I decided aloud. It probably wouldn't be until after this weekend, since Esme was here and she was stealing me for lunch tomorrow.

Rose and I rejoined the rest of the group in the living room, drinks in hand. We distributed them accordingly before Emmett sat himself beside our Christmas tree, Santa hat donned. He began passing out the presents, and we all waited until they were to their recipients until we began to open them.

I had gotten Rose a gift certificate to a spa that she had really been wanting to go to, and I had made sure there was enough money on there for her to get a massage, a mani-pedi, waxing and her hair done. She thanked me profusely as she watched me open my gift from her. She had kindly gotten me a year's subscription to People Magazine, my all-time favorite, and new makeup pallets. It was my turn to thank her, while Emmett questioned why I had so much makeup if I never even wore it. Alice and Rose quickly responded that I wore it to work, which he accepted.

Emmett demanded I open my present from him next, and he basically bounced in his seat as I unwrapped the small box it was in. I couldn't contain the smile on my face when I saw the rose gold watch that was safely tucked away inside the package. I'm sure it was the same smile that was on Em's face when he opened the new Guitar Hero game, as well as all of the instruments that I had gotten him.

Alice got me the most surprising gift of all: a pair of tickets to see Panic! at the Disco when they performed in Oregon over the summer. It was most surprising because the tickets hadn't gone on sale yet, and when I asked her where she got them, she just smiled and shrugged while she said she had sources. I just shook my head and thanked her, because I would never question concert tickets, especially to see my crush since forever: Brendon Urie.

Alice seemed very smug as I opened my gift, probably thinking that there was no way that I could outdo her, but she was very wrong. And I knew I won the second she realized what her gift was, because her jaw dropped open and she looked frantically between the box in her hands and me. She was choking on her words as she opened the Nikon D3300 camera I had gotten her, and I told her that Esme had helped me pick it out. She couldn't stop thanking me, even though I basically begged her to. She was speaking over herself so quickly that I couldn't even discern what she was saying anymore. She didn't shut up until she had the thing turned on and in her hands.

Angela kissed me on both my cheeks when she opened her present from me. She had been complaining about sleeping getting uncomfortable with her growing baby bump. Knowing it was only going to get worse as the weeks pressed on, I took to the internet to find her a maternity pillow so she could situate herself comfortably in bed.

Angela got me the most thoughtful gift of all. Leave it to the girl who's known me since elementary school to cause my eyes to well up when I opened the scrapbook she had put together. I flipped through the pages, seeing pictures of us growing up together. There seemed to be an endless amount of photos, going on a journey from our toothless grins, to our awkward adolescent years, to our first homecoming, to our high school graduation, ending with a picture of us together the day she told me she was pregnant. There were several empty pages after it, and she told me she would fill them from her wedding and baby shower and all the stuff that happened after that.

Jasper and I had made an agreement with each other a long time ago that we'd only ever buy each other forty dollars worth of scratchers for any gift-giving occasion, because that's the type of relationship we had. We knew there was love between the two of us, but Jasper hated buying presents, and I didn't want to make him feel bad if my presents kicked his presents' asses, so scratchers worked for us, especially because we always won over forty dollars off of them. We really couldn't go wrong.

Edward and I had agreed not to get each other anything this year since we had only been together officially for a few days before Christmas. It worked for us this way, and we promised to get each other birthday presents when the time came. I was fine with this arrangement because it gave me time to actually figure out what I could possibly get him once his birthday rolled around in June.

The rest of the night we sat around and talked and had fun. I curled up with Edward on the couch while we watched Elf. His arm was across my shoulders, holding me into his side, and his free hand was on my thigh, rubbing soft circles with his thumbs, making my nerve endings spark. I leaned my head on his shoulders and immersed myself in his warmth and his delicious scent. I still could not get over the way her smelled; I don't think I ever would.

Once Elf was over, we agreed to play a game of Cards Against Humanity. Emmett had wanted to play a drinking game, but Rose convinced him to save it until New Year's Eve when we could really have some fun and not make the pregnant woman feel left out. Emmett readily agreed, and proceeded to kick our asses at the card game, which he wouldn't stop bragging about. After a few rounds of that, Angela and Ben called it a night and said their goodbyes. I promised Angela I would try to see her before her bridal shower, but I would definitely see her on the day if I couldn't work something out.

After they left, everyone began to part their separate ways. Emmett and Rosalie retired to their room after a few shared looks between them. They hastily said goodnight before basically running down the hall, and I made a mental note to sleep with earplugs in tonight.

Jasper stayed the night as well, heading the Alice's bedroom a few minutes after Em and Rose had disappeared. Luckily, both Alice and Jasper were exhausted from a day of travelling and festivities, so they most likely fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

Edward and I were left in the living room together after everyone turned in, watching reruns of Friends on a cable channel.

"Are you prepared for my mom tomorrow?" he asked me, his head leaning against mine.

I chuckled. "I like your mom, I think she's fun. I can handle her."

"If you say so," he joked.

"I've been with Renee my whole life, and they're basically the same person. I think I've been well-prepared for Esme," I told him.

"Good," he said, turning to press his lips to the top of my head. "So tell me about Angela. You never talked about her much."

"My pregnant best friend wasn't exactly the best subject to bring up in a strip club," I joked. He chuckled beside me. "Ang has been my best friend since elementary school. We've done everything together, except college. She goes to UDub with Ben. That's where they met freshman year. She wants to be an English teacher, bless her heart. They're getting married the first week of March, and I'm her maid of honor, as well as the godmother to her baby."

"Do they know the gender yet?" he asked.

"No, at their last appointment the baby wasn't presenting itself, but they're hoping by the next one that they'll be able to tell. They're not picking a name until they know the gender, though."

"They're brave," he chuckled. "I'd need to have at least a name picked out for each gender."

"My parents didn't name me until, like, two days before I was born," I said. "Which is weird, because I feel like I have a really generic name."

"What's your full name?"

"Isabella Marie Swan," I said. "See, super generic."

"It's okay, my middle name's Anthony. That's pretty generic, too." He grinned down at me.

"I'm determined to give any of my future kids really kick ass names," I joked, even though I was totally serious.

I hated that my name was so bland. I had always envied kids with really unique but still functional names. I had a weird thing for boys names for girls. The fact that Blake Lively (boy name) had named her daughter James was totally a badass move on her and Ryan Reynolds' part. I know it was really sentimental for Ryan, but the fact that their baby girl's name was James was so cool. I should never be entrusted with giving another human being a name they were going to live with for the rest of their lives.

"I really like when little girls have boy names. I treated this girl the other day whose name was Carter, and it just fit her so well," Edward said, a small smile appearing on his face.

I stared at him dumbly for a moment. "You can't read my mind, can you?"

 _Dear lord, I hope not. I've thought some pretty dirty things about you the last few weeks._

He gave me a quizzical look. "No, why?"

"I was literally just thinking about how much I liked boys names for girls," I told him. He laughed as I continued. "I really like that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds named their daughter James. And that Blake is also a boy name."

"I was honestly really surprised when I heard their name for their kid," Edward said. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the TV that was still playing but we had been ignoring for the most part. "I mean, they're celebrities, so I was expecting something weird, but James is so normal, but the fact that they named their daughter that gave it a little bit of an edge."

"Exactly," I said, really glad that he felt the same way I did. If we ever had kids one day, their names would definitely be a big deal to me. There was no way I was naming my kids something really common like Ashley or Josh.

 _Wait, wait, wait. Kids? Really Bella? You guys have been dating for a week. Pull it together, woman._

Edward let out a big yawn, which I followed, because yawns were honestly more contagious than the bubonic plague. He smiled at me.

"I think that's my queue to leave," he said. He removed his arm from around my shoulder and I nearly pouted from the lack of contact. "You should get your rest before dealing with my mother tomorrow." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I promise, your mother is wonderful. She's very forward, but she's wonderful." I shifted myself so I was on my knees next to him, and I rested my hands on his shoulders. I liked being as close to him as possible, and I loved having his skin on mine now that I was actually allowed to do that.

My hands moved to the back of his neck, and I slowly moved one up to the back of his head, lightly scratching my nails over his scalp. This had a completely different reaction than when I pulled his hair here. As opposed to the growl that hair pulling elicited, I got more of a content sigh and his eyes automatically closed. A small smile touched his lips before he looked at me, his eyelids drooping slightly.

I leaned forward until my lips pressed softly against his, relishing the feel of his pliable mouth and the way his hands reached up to my waist to steady me. As much as I liked the heated kisses that held promises of more dirty happenings, I think I enjoyed the soft, wistful kisses more. He was so tender and loving and he held me like I would break if he wasn't careful. I loved feeling like I actually meant something to him emotionally, as opposed to being something that could be bought and sexualized at the club. I knew my job could have been a downfall for our relationship, but Edward made it easy to differentiate my two lives. I could feel the care he had for me, and it was so much different than the way I was perceived at the club. It made it easy for me to not question his intentions with me, now.

He finally pulled back from me, and he softly nudged my nose with his own. His forehead pressed to mine, and I looked at his eyes once his came to rest on mine.

"Do you work tomorrow?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "No, I don't work until Monday. I was actually going to see if you wanted to do something tomorrow after your date with my mom."

I smiled. "I'd love to, but I don't want Esme to be all by herself. That's the opposite of what she intended when she came down here."

"She, Rose and Em have dinner plans," he said, assuaging my concerns.

"Alright, what do you want to do?" I asked. We hadn't been on an actual date yet, aside from the time we went hiking, but I feel like that hardly counted.

"There's this pop-up movie night they have at the park by my apartment, and they have food vendors and stuff like that. I figured it could be fun." He smiled at me, but I saw the apprehension in his eyes, like he was hoping I wouldn't tell him I thought it was a stupid idea. Which I wasn't going to do, because a movie in the park sounded like a lot of fun. It was supposed to be nice tomorrow, which meant it would be enough to cuddle up under a blanket with some hot chocolate once the sun went down.

"Sounds great," I assured him, running my hands through his hair. "What are they playing?"  
"Avengers 2," he answered, beaming at my response.

"Mm, good, I love me some Robert Downey, Jr. And Chris Evans. And Scarlett Johansson." I had the biggest crush on all three of those celebrities. Honestly, I had too many celebrity crushes to count. Ryan Reynolds was a big one, as we had witnessed earlier.

"I'll let you know if you drool, don't worry," he joked.

I scoffed. "Please, I know how to reign myself in. I do it with you a lot."

"If that's any indication to how tomorrow night is gonna go, I'll be sure to bring lots of napkins," Edward said. The smirk that I found too sexy for his own good showed up, and I knew he knew the affect he had on me.

I glared at him. "Whatever. Cocky bastard."

Edward just laughed.

* * *

There you have it, friend Christmas. I hope you guys liked the choice in presents. I tried to think of something that would be good between all of them, given the type of relationships they have. I hope I did ok.

Also, who liked the little bit of vulnerability we got from Emmett at the beginning? I thought it would be good to include, since I view Alice, Bella, and Emmett as being really close and loving toward one another. They have lived together for a couple years, after all.

As always, let me know what you guys think! I'm always open to thoughts and suggestions :) Next chapter we will see Esme and Bella's lunch, as well as E & B's date. I might also jump forward to some of B back at the club, since I'm missing writing all that sexiness. I might even get in a little bit of NYE, because I'm really ready for 2015 to be over in this story, since I have a lot planned for 2016. Exciting stuff will be going down, some of which I'm sure you guys have been waiting for ;)

Until next time, lovelies!


	19. The One with the Talk

Hello my loves! You get two chapters this week! Yay! I just wanted to tell you that I'm probably going to cut posting down to once a week, since my schedule at school and work seems to just be getting heavier. There might be two in one week if I'm feeling really motivated, but expect one from now on.

Alright, so we get their date in this chapter, and it ended up being longer than I thought, so possible sexy time at the club will be in the next chapter. I'm eager to get Bella back to work and to move the timeline along a bit.

I'll see you at the bottom. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

 **EDWARD POV**

"I swear, Edward, if you don't marry that girl one day, I will," my mom announced as soon as she walked through the front door of my apartment. She had just gotten back from her lunch date with Bella, and she was grinning from ear to ear as she hung up her jacket on the coat rack by the door.

"You'd divorce dad to be with Bella?" I asked, joking with her. I peeked up at her over my glasses to see her reactions. I had been reading some medical journals at the kitchen bar when my mother had gotten back. They were texts I had read hundreds of times, but I liked to brush up on them when I got a chance. You could never be too sure of a procedure or the treatment plan for a certain disease.

"Oh no, sweetie," she said, brushing the idea away with her hand like it was a fly. "I'd become a polygamist."

"So you and Bella would be sister wives."

"No, I'd be the head of the marriage, so Bella would be married to me, not your father. Instead of sister wives, they'd be sibling spouses." She grinned at her own quick wit as she pulled out the chair beside me at the bar.

I chuckled at her and took my glasses off, placing them on the countertop. I pressed the heel of my palms into my eyes, relieving them of some of the strain reading for the last hour had caused. It was one of my only days off, and I had nothing planned beside my date with Bella later, so I had sat around my apartment while my mother had lunch with my girlfriend.

"Seriously, you are planning to marry her, right?" she asked suddenly. I was glad I hadn't been drinking anything, because I definitely would have inhaled it instead of swallowing it. As it was, I choked on the saliva in my mouth.

"Mom, we barely started dating," I argued. Was she really that desperate to get me married off? I was only twenty-four, for Christ's sake. It wasn't like I was in my late thirties with no prospects of a relationship.

"So? I knew I was going to marry your father a week after we started dating," she said, a happy sparkle in her eye. My mom loved to talk about how she just knew her and my dad were meant to be together. While I wanted to give my mother everything she wanted, I couldn't be as sure as she had been about any of my relationships.

I could definitely see myself loving Bella unconditionally, in time, but I had also been pretty fucked over in my last relationship, and I wasn't really on board with putting my all into another one just yet. I was becoming addicted to everything that was inherently Bella, but I was trying to be cautious in order to avoid another heartbreak. I had done the thing where I dated a younger girl, and that obviously hadn't worked out well, so I was anxious about being in another relationship with someone so much younger than me. I knew Bella well enough to know that she would never do anything intentionally to hurt what we had, but it was just an irrational fear that I had. I couldn't justify it in any way, beside that tight feeling in my chest any time I thought about giving my all to her. Lauren had really done a number on me, which I wasn't privy to admitting even to myself, sometimes.

"I really like Bella," I told my mom. "But I want to take my time with her. Lauren and I moved things along too fast, and that exploded."

My mother's eyes narrowed at me. "If you're implying that my dear Bella is anything like that evil witch, I swear to God, Edward."

I hurried to calm her wrath. "No, no!" I exclaimed. "I know Bella is a genuinely good person. I know she'd never do anything to jeopardize our relationship, and neither would I. Bella is so...pure."

"I'm not sure I would use the word 'pure'," my mom said, a smirk slipping onto her face, that looked much too much like my own. "Get a little alcohol in that girl, and some of her filters start to disintegrate."

"What did you do?" I wondered hesitantly. I'm sure they had wine at lunch, since my mom drank with nearly every meal. I was afraid she had pushed Bella into letting her guard down and obtained some information that my mother should never know.

"Nothing, Bella and I just had a glass of wine or two with lunch, and she seems more willing to offer information when she's slightly buzzed," she shrugged, smirk still present.

"Do I even want to know?" I asked, pinching the skin between my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. My mother could be insistent, and I didn't even want to think about what type of information she had gotten from poor, unsuspecting Bella.

"She was rather willing to talk about how sexy she thinks you look in glasses," she chuckled, and I groaned. Bella had let that slip to me when she was sober, I couldn't imagine how quickly she had offered that up when she had some alcohol in her system. "Oh, and how your bottom looks in a pair of slacks."

This information was new to me. "What?"

My mom laughed. "You'll have to ask her yourself tonight. Now, I'm going to go take a nap before my dinner plans with Rose and Emmett." She patted my hand and offered me a smile before rising from her seat beside me and wandered down the hall to my guest bedroom.

* * *

The door to Bella's apartment opened a few moments after I rapped on it once I had arrived. We agreed to dinner before the movie started at seven, so we decided getting dinner at five-thirty gave us plenty of time to eat and make it over to the park.

Alice stood in the doorway, a huge smile on her face. While I hadn't spent a whole lot of time with the petite woman, I knew she was a great friend and was fiercely loyal to anyone she aligned herself with. Bella had told me stories of instances where Alice would berate men three times her size and actually intimidate them. Something about the little pixie left no doubt in my mind that she could get the president of the United States to do what she wanted if she put her mind to it.

"Hey, Edward!" she greeted. She wrapped her small hand around my wrist and pulled me through the door, making me chuckle in surprise at her strength. For being even shorter than Bella and having a much more slight build, she was astonishingly strong. She closed the door behind me and grinned at me as she gestured to the couch.

"You can sit, Bella's gonna be just a couple more minutes," she informed me. I nodded and walked around to sit on the couch. I had a feeling the 'couple more minutes' were more Alice's doing than Bella's, since Bella didn't seem to dress up all that often outside of the club.

Sure enough, Bella came huffing down the hall, bag over her shoulder and her shoes and a beanie in her hands. She looked adorable when she was huffy, and I took a moment to admire her appearance, much like I did every time that I saw her. She was wearing a plain red t-shirt, that was seemingly a second skin more than a shirt, because it clung to her curvy body, accentuating places I was trying to be a gentleman about and not ogle. Her jeans weren't much better; they were just as tight as the shirt, and her hips swayed with each step she took. She wore a black bomber jacket open over her shirt, much like the green one I was wearing.

"I'm not going to be a few more minutes, Al. I'm ready," Bella protested. She sat herself on the couch beside me and started to pull her boots on. Ankle boots, I believe they were called. They were black with a few inches of heel on them.

"But I was going to do something with your hair!" Alice pouted.

"That's what the beanie's for," Bella said, waving the item at her friend.

Alice looked about five seconds away from stomping her foot like a child, and I couldn't help but chuckle. She crossed her arms over her chest before storming away down the hall. She sent a short goodbye over her shoulder before I heard a door slam.

I saw Bella shake her head. "Nothing like living with an irate pixie," she mumbled. She pulled the beanie onto her head, situating it over her ears. Her hair looked to be in its natural state, and honestly my favorite state. I loved her mahogany strands, how they were wavy and always slightly tousled. She wore it in big ringlets at the club, usually, and she had worn it straight for Halloween, but natural was my favorite.

I hadn't realized my train of thought had led me to reach out and grasp a strand of her hair between the tips of my fingers. I twisted it lightly around my index finger, and I saw her eyes dart to the movement. I looked up at her at the same time that her gaze shifted to me, and I offered her a smile. Her eyes roamed over me, from my head, down my torso, and to my legs. Mirth was present in her eyes when they settled back on mine.

"We've been dating for a week, and we're already one of those couples," she said, a smirk slipping onto her face.

I raised one eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?" I released her hair from my fingers.

"We're basically wearing the same outfit. Bomber jacket and beanie," she said, her fingers lightly touching the items I was wearing.

I smirked back at her, realizing she was kind of right. "At least they're not the same colors," I offered. My jacket was green and my beanie was grey, while both her jacket and her beanie were black. "Looks like we're really not trying that hard." I winked at her and he smirk grew into a full grin.

"Oh, thank God," she said, huffing out a faux sigh of relief. "Wouldn't want anyone thinking we actually planned this." She wiped the back of her hand over her forehead, wiping away imaginary sweat.

"Are you ready?" I asked her. When she nodded, I stood from the couch and offered her my hand, which she accepted. I didn't release it once she was up, though, and instead I held onto it all the way until I helped her into the passenger seat of my car. And once I was seated, I took it again and placed ours together on the center console.

I drove us to one of my favorite places to go for lunch while I was working. It was a deli about a block from the hospital that served the best pastrami sandwich I had ever had in my life. I ordered my pastrami, and Bella opted for a BLT, citing that it was something she had always gotten at the diner back in Forks. I grinned, remembering going to that diner with Emmett when we were kids when he would visit for the summer.

We chatted idly over our sandwiches, recounting our Christmases with our families. I questioned her about spending the day with Jacob Black and Seth Clearwater, and she grimaced, saying she was uncomfortable spending such a day with Jake, but indifferent toward Seth. I asked her what problem she had with Jake that she was uncomfortable with him, and she sighed.

"We're about to get into the portion of our relationship where we start recounting our pasts with other people," she told me.

"You and Jake?" I asked, more surprised than anything. I didn't know Jacob Black that well, even though we were technically frat brothers, but he didn't seem like the kind of guy Bella would ever date or really even associate with.

"Yeah, our freshman year at PSU," she said, grimacing. "Not the best decision I've made in my life, but it happened."  
"What happened, exactly?" If he had hurt Bella in any way, he wasn't going to get away with it.

"We met in an English class we had together, we had a fling for about a semester," she said, picking the bacon off of her BLT. "We were never really in a relationship, we just messed around, more or less. When I cut him off completely, he seemed like he was fine with it, but he wouldn't stop trying to hang out with me. I avoided him for a while, until that frat party on Halloween."

"So, nothing bad happened?" I asked, making sure I wouldn't have to pay him a visit.

"No, he didn't hurt me or anything," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "He's just more of an annoyance than anything. Nothing I'm not used to." She gave me a reassuring smile. "It was just weird to have him in my childhood home."

I nodded, relieved by her answer. "Any other past flings you want to talk about while we're on the subject?" I asked. I wasn't really trying to press her for information, I just figured it was better to get it all out of the way in one go if she wanted. Unless there was some reason she didn't want to talk about a certain relationship, then I definitely wouldn't push her until she was ready.

"Um…" she said, pondering as she took a bite out of a slice of tomato that she had salted a moment before. "I had a boyfriend in high school. We mostly just hung out in the woods behind my house and got high and drunk together. We were never really serious. I've actually never had a serious relationship." She peered up at me from where her eyes had been trained on her deconstructed sandwich. She appeared to be blushing, which she did often, and I found it incredibly endearing. "What about you?"

I shrugged my shoulder. "My only serious girlfriend was Lauren, and that ended in a nightmare." I rolled my eyes at the thought of my relationship with her. While it had really hurt to find out she had been cheating on me with one of my frat brothers, it didn't take me all that long to get over it. The relationship had its problems from the beginning, and looking back on it now, I knew it was doomed to fail.

"Em told me what happened," she offered, glancing up at me. "Why did she try to talk to you at the Halloween party?"

I shook my head. "Who knows? She always pops up like that out of nowhere. I think she thinks she can get back into my life. Or my bed. Most likely the latter."

Bella froze at my mention of having sex with Lauren, and I hoped I hadn't made her uncomfortable. Bella was a stripper, but not everyone wants to hear about their current partner's sex life with their exes.

"Um, speaking of getting into bed," she mumbled, her face an even deeper shade of red than it had been a few moments ago. "I think there's something I should tell you."

I felt my eyebrows pull in the center of their own volition. "What is it? Is something wrong?" The doctor in me immediately reared its head, thinking there might be something medically that prevented Bella from having or enjoying sex. Endometriosis was becoming more common and it made sex uncomfortable or painful, and I hoped Bella didn't have it, simply for the health implications.

"No, nothing's wrong," she assured, shaking her head. "I've just…" she trailed off, and her next words came out in a soft warble. I couldn't hear what she said, and when I asked her to repeat it, her cheeks grew impossibly darker. "I'm a virgin, Edward."

She seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for my response.

"Really?" was all I said. I was sort of in disbelief, since she had just said she had a fling with Jake a couple years ago, and the alcohol and weed in her previous relationship usually meant teenagers having copious amounts of intoxicated sex.

She nodded her head, staring intently at her picked apart sandwich. She was shredding the bread into crumbs with the tips of her fingers, obviously avoiding my gaze. I reached out a hand and lightly gripped her chin in my fingers, tilting it up so she would look at me. Her eyes dragged from her plate, to the table, to my chest, before they finally settled on mine.

"Hey, it's okay," I assured her, offering her a small smile. "It's just surprising, really. Given your job and past relationships, and that night at my house last week, it didn't really seem like a possibility."

She shrugged. "I never found the person I wanted to give myself to, I guess. I'm all for casual sex, if that's what someone wants to do with their life, it's just not what I want to do. And no one else ever met my expectations."

"That's perfectly fine, Bella," I said, smiling.

"I just don't want you going into this thinking I'm this really sexually experienced person, and then being disappointed when the first time we do anything isn't fun," she said. She gripped my wrist with her hand, bringing it to the table between us.

"I promise you, Bella, if or when we become intimate, I will have fun, regardless of how good or bad at it you think you are." I moved our hands so they were intertwined. "I get hard when we make out, so I'm sure you won't have a problem making me feel good."

She bit her bottom lip, something I found less endearing and much more of a tease. I wanted that bottom lip to be between my teeth and lips, maybe swiping my tongue across it. This talk about possible sexual encounters in the future was putting my mind in a bad place.

"And I can guarantee you I will have a lot of fun figuring out what you like," I told her, smirking. Her tongue peeked out to lick her lips, her eyes flashing to mine, and I willed myself not to react. I wanted her, but I wasn't going to push anything, especially with this new information. I was going to be a gentleman until she asked me not to be anymore.

* * *

We eventually made it to the movie, settling in with a blanket underneath us and another one over us. It was winter still in Portland, but it was mild, and our jackets and the blanket were more than enough to keep us warm.

Bella hopped up and said she was going to go get hot chocolate for us. I handed her a ten dollar bill, which she tried to hand back to me, but I couldn't let her pay for anything. We were on a date, and I was being chivalrous. I told her so, and she just rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her face, so I knew she wasn't actually upset over it. Besides the fact that I had been raised to know that I was supposed to be kind and generous to women, I also had more money than I knew what to do with, so spending a few bucks on hot chocolate was the most insignificant thing.

She returned a few minutes later, two styrofoam cups in her hands. She handed one to me before plopping down on the blanket beside me, draping the blanket back over her legs. She reached into her pocket and handed me the change from the drinks. I pocketed it and wrapped my arm around her waist, scooting her closer to me. She settled into my side, sipping on her drink and watching as the projector lit up the large screen.

I took her distraction as an opportunity to admire her, like I did a lot when we were together. Her facial features were so soft and beautiful, and I constantly wanted my hands touching some part of her soft skin. My eyes always automatically drew to her big round eyes, and I lost myself in the chocolate brown color of them. They were so expressive and doe-like, and it made her name at the club seem very fitting. After her eyes, her lips were the next thing I found myself looking at. The were heart-shaped and full and naturally a soft pink color. I constantly wanted to feel them against my own, against my skin. Thinking of her lips on my neck led to thinking of them much lower down, and I really didn't feel like getting hard at the park, so I willed myself to think of something else.

Just as I moved onto the slight blush on her cheeks from the cold, she looked up at me, probably feeling my eyes on her, and raised her eyebrows. The opening scenes of the movie had began, and I hadn't been paying any attention. I gave her a sheepish grin, realizing I had been caught staring at her. She smirked at me and tilted her head so her mouth was closer to my ear.

"Can I help you, Cullen?" she whispered, and her warm breath washed against my neck.

"No, just admiring my view," I whispered back. She grinned at me before turning her attention back to the movie, snuggling herself deeper into my smile. She found my hand under the blanket from where it was sitting on her other side. She pulled it into her lap and laid her own over it. Her thumb stroked lazily back and forth over my own, causing me to grin.

We sat comfortably next to each other for the duration of the movie, and I just enjoyed the warmth of her body against mine, and the smell of the inexplicable strawberry scent that emanated off of her all the time. It reminded me of the night we spent together in my parents' home last week. I was glad she was a cuddler, because I loved having another person's body against my own, especially when I slept. Since I slept alone in my bed, I had a body pillow that took up the empty space, but I was hoping Bella would occupy that side of the bed more often, now.

Once the movie ended, Bella and I folded up the blankets and made our way back to my car. I headed out onto the road before I really knew where we were going. I honestly hadn't planned the evening this far ahead.

"Is there anywhere you want to go while we're out?" I asked her, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.

She shrugged. "Nothing I can think of. Do you want to come over?" Even though I couldn't really look at her, I heard the new tone in her voice. It was the same way she talked when we were in the middle of making out.

I smirked. "How about we go to mine?" If she wanted what I thought she was hinting at, I definitely didn't need my cousin, Rose, and Alice in the apartment when it happened.

"Isn't your mom there?" she asked, sounding slightly horrified.

I chuckled before assuring her. "No, she went out with some friends here after she went to dinner with Em and Rose. She's staying there for the night. She probably won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."

"If you're sure," Bella said, still sounding hesitant. I understood the apprehension of doing any sexual act when someone's parents were in the house.

"I'm sure, Bella. I wouldn't offer if I wasn't." I turned my head briefly to give her a smile.

She nodded after a moment. "Alright. To your place, then."

* * *

So...tell me what you think is going to happen next chapter ;D or tell me what you want to happen, because I haven't decided what exactly is going to go down, yet.

As always, let me know what you guys think and any suggestions for future chapters. Reviews and feedback are always welcome :) Oh, and their date outfits are in my profile, if you wanna know exactly what I was picturing.

Until next time, lovelies!


	20. The One With the Hands

I'm not even going to talk about how long I was gone. I've been working far too much and school has gotten ridiculous. I sincerely apologize for the absence, but I promise to update faster next time. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN:**

 **BELLA POV**

Edward pulled up to his apartment complex, which was a few miles closer to the hospital than mine was, and a little more upscale, too. The building looked new and sleek, and it was definitely giving off that contemporary feel, which wasn't my favorite, but I could see its appeal.

Before I could really even make a move to exit the car, Edward was opening the passenger door for me, giving me a smile. I still wasn't really used to all this chivalrousness, so him opening my car door, always helping me in, and paying for absolutely everything was still a strange concept. I would definitely call myself a feminist, but I wasn't at all opposed to men being kind to women. It was strange mostly because I had never had anyone do all these things for me. Apparently the last guys I had dated hadn't been gentlemen like Edward was.

We rode in the elevator up to Edward's floor hand in hand, silently. It was a comfortable silence, but it was charged with the knowledge of what was going to happen tonight. I was slightly nervous, only because it had been a few years since the last time I got any action, and I was unsure how well I was going to be able to give. I obviously knew guys were pretty simple, since it hadn't taken a whole lot to get my ex and Jake off whenever I was with them, but I wanted my time with Edward to be different.

I felt something with Edward that I had never felt toward another person before. The way I was drawn to him and the way he made me feel when we were together was something completely undescribable. I wanted the bottle that feeling up and keep it forever, and I hoped I'd only ever get to experience more with him. He made every cell in my body feel light and abuzz with energy. I felt a surge of electricity every time his skin touched mine, and I never wanted that feeling to go away.

He ushered me into his apartment, switching on a lamp that sat on a side table. I took in his living room and kitchen, which was much more expensive looking than mine. Everything was in grey and blue tones, matching with the exterior of the building. I couldn't really bother with taking in many details, because I had a very attractive man standing next to me, and I really wanted to be touching him instead of admiring the interior decorating job around his home.

I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pushing my chest up close to his. He placed his hands on either side of my head, his thumbs stroking my cheeks as he softly smiled at me. I offered one back before standing on my tiptoes and pressing my lips to his. His lips automatically opened to mine and our tongues met, and I let out a small moan at the taste of him. He tasted of chocolate and mint, which was one of the best combination of flavors, in my opinion.

I moved my hands from his back to the hem of his shirt, inching my fingers up under the material. His skin was warm and smooth and his muscles contracted as I ran my nails over his abdomen. I smirked at the reaction I was eliciting from his body and felt his hands into my hair. I thought that he was going to use it as a way to move me and take control of the situation, but he ran his fingers through my hair softly and pulled his lips away from mine. He looked down at me, his eyes searching my face.

"What?" I wondered.

"I just want to make it clear that I'm willing to take this all at your pace," he said, his fingers combing from my scalp to the ends of my hair. "This is all up to you, I'll go as fast or as slow as you would like. I promise to make you feel good, no matter what, and I don't expect anything in return. Ever."

"Edward, I'm not some fragile little doll that needs to be handled with care," I assured him, scraping my nails down his abs. I felt satisfied with the hiss of breath he gave. "Just because I've never had sex before doesn't mean I've never done anything. I'm far from innocent."

I didn't really know where this boldness was coming from, but I was going to roll with it as long as it was there.

"I just don't want you to feel like I'm pushing you in any way."

I smiled at him. "And I appreciate your caring, but I will let you know what I want or if you're doing something wrong. I'm an adult, and I can make my own decisions."

"Then what are you deciding right now?" he asked, that sexy smirk slipping onto his face.

"I'm deciding that I want to see you naked," I said. I moved my hands to slip his jacket from his shoulders, which he let me do, moving his arms to allow it to fall to the ground.

"Is that so?"

I smirked up at him. "It is. Now let me take your clothes off." He chuckled at me as I pushed my hands back up his shirt, lifting it up and off. I tossed it to the side and watched him as he stood there in just his jeans and shoes, which he toed off soon after.

My fingers traced the outline of the tattoo on his chest, which I could see now was a cross with script wrapped around it, a memorial to people I had never heard about. Both last names were Masen, so I was assuming it was Esme's parents, who Edward had never spoken about. He had never struck me as a religious person, but then, we never talked about it.

I skimmed my hands down his chest and torso, stopping at the waist of his jeans. My fingers quickly undid the button, and I wasted no time in pushing the material down his hips and legs. He stepped out of them and kicked them aside as I took in his nearly naked body. The black boxer briefs he was wearing left little to nothing to the imagination, especially his arousal.

"This is a little unfair, don't you think?" he wondered, mischief clear in his eyes. I pushed my jacket off my shoulders and pulled the beanie off my head, tossing them with his discarded clothes. I pulled my shirt over my head and kicked my boots off, setting those aside as well.

"Better?" I asked.

His eyes ranked up and down my body, his tongue peeking out to lick his lips. "Not quite, you still have a few extra articles on than I do."

I chuckled. "It's not like you haven't seen me in my underwear before." We had spent plenty of evenings in the club together, where I was wearing next to nothing.

"This is different, though," he said, sliding his hands to my hips and finding my button. He hesitated, looking into my eyes for silent permission, and I nodded. "You're my girlfriend now, and there were clear rules at the club. Some of those obviously don't apply here." He had my fly undone, and he pushed my jeans down. His hands touched my skin the entire way down, creating a trail of tingling warmth.

I stepped out of the garment as I asked, "Which rules are those?" He stood back up and pressed his body against mine transferring his searing body heat. His hands moved up my legs and landed on my ass, kneading softly.

"The 'no touching' rule, obviously," he said softly into my ear. I gasped in surprise as he used his grip to haul me up. I wrapped my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck. The movement caused my center to press against his hard cock, making me moan involuntarily. It had been a long time since I had taken part in any sexual activities with anyone but myself, so every little touch was heightened.

Edward carried me to what I was assuming was his bedroom, given the bookshelves and slightly rumpled bedding. He deposited me in the center before situating himself over me, pressing his hips into mine. His lips met mine, kissing me hungrily. He ran one hand along my waist before pushing it behind my back and tracing his fingers along the clasp of my bra. I nodded at him, granting him permission, before he easily slid it open. He pulled the garment off of me, not separating his lips from my skin.

His mouth left mine, trailing across my cheek and down my neck. His teeth nipped lightly at the skin of my neck and shoulder before licking it to sooth the sting. One of his hands moved up and his thumb skimmed the bottom of my left breast. His lips moved further down my body, pressing a line of kisses down my right breast as his hand palmed the other one. My back arched and I gasped as his tongue pressed into my nipple, flicking past it back and forth. I felt his teeth lightly graze the erect peak, and my hand flew up into his hair, pulling at the locks on the back of his head. He growled and switched sides, giving the same treatment to my left breast.

When I thought I was going to orgasm from him just touching my breasts, he pulled back, sitting on his heels. He hooked his fingers into the band of my underwear, looking down at me for consent. I nodded once again and he pulled the material down, exposing me completely to him. He sat with his hands moving back and forth over my thighs while he looked at me.

"Bella, you're so beautiful," he said, sounding awed by my body, even though he had seen me two articles of clothing away from naked several times before. I wasn't going to pop his little bubble, though, so I just smiled at him. He smiled back at me.

Edward moved his hands further up my thighs, inching closer to the part of me that I could feel dripping for him. He watched my face as his knuckle brushed past me, barely pressing into my clit. I gasped, and I felt my hips raise up to try to maintain contact. He took my hint and pressed into me with a little more pressure, causing me to hiss out his name.

"Yes, baby?" Edward asked, sex and lust dripping in his tone. He knew exactly what he was doing, but he was playing coy, and I was too needy to play back.

"Please just touch me," I said, my voice sounding overly breathy to my own ears.

"I'm already touching you, Bella," he pointed out, brushing the pad of his thumb over my clit, causing me to whimper.

I slapped one hand to his bed, flustered and frustrated. "You know what I mean," I told him, sounding more upset than I actually was. I just really needed more than the very tips of his fingers brushing softly over me. I craved a lot more contact, and he was keeping it from me.

"You mean like this?" He quickly applied more pressure to his ministrations as well as dipping his head down to my stomach, pressing kissing to my heated skin.

I gasped and one of my hands fisted in his hair, the other gripping his shoulder, my nails digging into his skin lightly. I heard him suck in a breath against my skin before he moved his mouth to my hips, gently nipping his teeth at the sensitive flesh. I couldn't control my breathing as I felt his fingers graze against my opening, gathering the wetness that had formed there.

"May I?" His eyes met mine briefly as I nodded and proceeded to moan out as one of his fingers slipped inside me, stretching me minutely. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means-quite the opposite, actually. It was a feeling I welcomed with open arms.

He moved his finger slowly at first, and I could feel his eyes on me even though my own were closed. His movements were delicious, but I needed more; I was too turned on to deal with his caring side right now.

"More," I pleaded, rocking my hips to meet his fingers. I felt him pull out before his hand returned, two fingers inside me now. I hummed at the feeling, glad to have more of him filling me. "Faster," I told him, needing him to speed up now. The slow pace he had set was killing me.

I could feel his body heat leave me as his movements in and out became faster. I let out a long moan as his fingers hooked upward, hitting that amazing little button inside me. I had always been one to encourage a guy to find my G spot, so Edward hitting it on his own was a blessing. He made a point to press into it every time he moved his fingers back in, quickly building that feeling of ecstasy inside of me.

His thumb still worked over my clit as he thrusted his fingers in and out of me, and I felt his mouth come down and attach to me right breast, pulling on my nipple lightly. My back arched, causing my hips to press down and his fingers to hit just a little bit harder inside of me. The rush of pleasure from the movement had my grip in his hair tightening and my nails on his shoulder scratching along his skin.

"You want it harder, baby?" His own voice was slightly breathy, which was very hot. I could only nod in affirmation, and I was rewarded with him applying more pressure inside me.

"Fuck, Edward," I gasped. That coil in my stomach was tight and it was going to snap any second. "Fuck, I'm gonna cum."

"Cum for me, beautiful," he cooed, his lips pressed below me ear. "I wanna see you. Cum for me, Bella."

His words caused me to fall over the edge, my hips bucked down on his fingers as he continued his movements, allowing me to ride out my orgasm for as long as possible. I felt the muscles in my stomach flex and relax with each wave of pleasure, my fingers grabbing feebly at his shoulders.

When my body finally calmed down, I was left panting and I could feel my body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. I kept my eyes closed, but I felt Edward lay his body over mine, his boxer-clad erection pressing into my hips. I wearily opened my eyes to come face-to-face with Edward, who had a soft smile on his face. His hand gently brushed my hair off of my face as his eyes darted over my features.

"How was that?" His eyes finally set on mine and I smiled.

"It was fantastic," I told him honestly.

"Really? Because I think I could do much better," he said, his signature smirk replacing his silly grin.

"I'm sure you think you could, but right now it's my turn to return the favor," I said, pressing on his shoulders so he would roll off of me. He laid on his back and I straddled his hips.

"You don't have to, Bella," he told me. "I just wanted to make you feel good; I didn't do it to get anything in return."

"And now I want to make you feel good." I gave him a smile. "I'm pretty good with my hands, you know."

"The stitches in your hand say otherwise," he joked, taking my left hand in his and running his finger beside my line of stitches.

I rolled my eyes. "I mean, if you don't want me to, I won't."

He placed both his hands on my hips and smiled up at me. "Please, Bella, you're more than welcome to do whatever you'd like."

I smirked. "Good, I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

I didn't see Edward again for a few days. He worked the next afternoon, which I felt pretty bad about because we had been awake messing around until about three that morning. He had to be exhausted, but he insisted that he would be okay. He showered quickly and dressed in a plain sweatshirt and jeans as I dressed myself in my jeans and a t-shirt that he had offered me. He told me I was welcome to stay as long as I pleased, but he probably wouldn't be home until eleven or twelve that night. He kissed me goodbye and left, promising to text me when he could.

I left soon after he did, not wanting to overstay my welcome. We hadn't been dating long enough for me to feel comfortable hanging out in his house when he wasn't around. I got in a taxi, and I was relieved to see that no one else was awake when I got there. Evidently everyone had a late night.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket, a text from Edward. He told me to check my stitches, since they were probably ready to come out. I did as he said, and the area wasn't red and irritated, so I found the kit I had been given at the hospital and sat at the kitchen table. I quickly snipped the stitches and pulled them out with the forceps that had been supplied to me. The places where the stitches had gone through bled a little bit, so I put some ointment on them and slapped on a bandage, but other than that, it was pretty easy. I had been through this more times than I'd like to admit, so I was anticipating the bleeding and weird feeling of the sutures being tugged through my skin.

That day passed by in a blur of cleaning and time spent with Alice, Rose, Em, and Jasper. I told Rose that I planned to be back in the club on Wednesday and spend a few days warming up before the big weekend ahead.

By Wednesday night, I was itching to get back in the club and dancing. I'm expected to do one set on stage that night and I'm planning to make as much money on lapdances as I can. Wednesdays are slow, but not as slow as Mondays and Tuesdays, since it's already getting closer to the weekend. Rose comes with me tonight in case I need any type of support. It's always a little difficult to get back into the swing of things when you've been out of practice for a while. Hopefully tonight goes smoothly.

The night started off slow, like any weekday does. There's few men in there before ten pm, so the other girls and I just danced on the free poles until the club got a little more crowded. A lot of people were on vacation right now due to the holidays, so it was more busy than it normally would be. A few girls did their sets before me, so Rose and I went around offering lap dances and private rooms. I made over two hundred dollars before I took the stage for a few songs, where I was able to rack in another one-fifty. I felt good making money so quickly after taking a couple weeks off.

I made seven-hundred that night, and I went to sleep with a smile on my face. It felt really good being back at the club, dancing and having fun. I resolved myself to working the next day and Saturday, since I had plans on New Year's Eve with my friends.

Rose came with me on Thursday, as well. It was incredibly busy that night. It was almost the same as any given weekend, which was a strange sight. I took the stage twice that night and I gave may a more lapdances, as well as a couple private dances in the back rooms. The dances had me missing my dances with Edward, but I reminded myself that I had him all to myself now, and he was due for a lapdance. I made a note to give him one the next time we got time alone together.

As I was walking the floor later that night, chatting to customers and giving a lapdance to a woman and a group of her friends, all of whom were laughing and having a good time, Rose came up to me and tapped me on my shoulder.

"What's up, Barbie?" I asked her, barely glancing at her as I danced for the girls. Women were always fun to dance for because they didn't get all weird and sexual about it, even if they were lesbian. They just had fun with it and complimented me in the most sincere ways. It was lovely.

"There's a guest asking for a private dance, Bambi," she told me, smiling at the girls on the couch. "I put him up in room four."

"I'll be there in five," I told her. I saw her nod from the corner of my eye before she walked off, hopefully to tell the guy that I'd be a few minutes.

After thanking the girls for a fun dance and collecting my money, I walked backstage to brush my fingers through my hair, reapply my lipstick and make sure my clothes were in order. It got crazy out there sometimes and haphazardly putting your top back on after a dance left it in a pretty messy disarray.

I walked back to the private rooms and knocked a few times on the door of the occupied room. There was a muffled call from the other side, telling me to come in. I opened the door and closed it behind me before turning to face my client. The soft music of the main club was filtering through the speakers, but I knew the sounds were about to change to the request of the customer.

When my eyes fell on the man's face, I let out a surprised little gasp.

"Edward. What are you doing here?" I asked him, caught off guard at seeing him here. He had told me he wasn't coming in anymore, although, that had been before he knew who I was and we started dating. But now we were dating, and I never thought I'd see him in here again.

"I came to visit my girlfriend at work," he told me, standing from his seat in the chair in the center of the room. He strode over to me and raised his hand to brush my hair from my face. "And I kinda missed seeing you dance for me."

"I can dance for you outside of the club, Edward," I told him, chuckling. "You don't have to pay me for it outside of the club."

He shrugged. "I was in the area, and I knew you were working. Plus Rose told me it would be a good surprise."

"You and Rose are always conspiring," I joked. I brushed my hands over his shoulders. "Where do you want me first?"

I saw his eyes flit to the pole at the front of the room, and I smirked. Edward liked receiving lapdances as much as any guy I had ever seen, but he did appreciate watching my body when I was doing pole work. It was something I had picked up on very early on, and I appreciated the way he took in my movements when I was dancing for him. I nudged him toward the chair where he took his seat, and I took my place on the small stage.

I waited briefly for the music to start and the familiar strings of a Bruno Mars song rang out in the room. I gave a small smile at the song; Money Make Her Smile had been the first song I had ever danced to in the club, and it was a song that I held close in my heart. The fact that Edward had chosen it for me to dance to was funny to me, and he asked me why I was grinning.

When I was able to set my feet flat on the floor, I told him. He grinned at me and sat forward in his seat, knees on his elbows. I danced for the duration of the song, watching his face and movements when I could. I saw him lick his lips a few times, and he ran his fingers through his messy hair more times than I could count. I wanted it to be my fingers running through his soft hair, but I had to tell myself that the time would come soon enough. I was hoping that Edward would disregard the rules of the club and touch me as much as he pleased.

Once the song was done, I made my way over to Edward, dancing in beat the new song, Naughty Girl by Beyonce. I shook my head as I smirked at him and he chuckled.

"You're just full of these cliche songs," I told him, straddling his lap. "I hope you know I'd never actually choose this song to dance to."

"Rose suggested it," he shrugged.

"It's a good song, it's just totally overplayed in almost all clubs," I laughed. I moved my body over his to the rhythm of her words instead of the beat of the music, since her voice was more sexy than the music itself. My hands found Edward's hair, and I gently tugged on the patch at the nape of his neck, granting me that primitive growl I loved to hear from him. I could feel him becoming around under my hips, and I played with him, grinding myself against him. He hissed at the sensation, his hands tightening into fists at his sides.

I leaned over, my lips to his ear. "You can touch me; there aren't any cameras or anything," I whispered. His hands immediately gripped my hips, guiding me over him, angling us so his hard cock against my center, which was only clad in thin cotton cheeky underwear, causing me to let out a short moan. I narrowed my eyes at him and took back control, pushing my hands up under his t-shirt. This was my place of work, my club; I was the one in control here. This was my domain.

I scratched a line from his back to his ribs, right under his pecs. I felt the muscles tighten and heard him suck in a breath, causing me to smirk. He could be in control any other time, but while we were in my club, I was the one calling the shots.

The song ended, and I could see the strain on his face. Edward was the type of person that always had control, and it was typically calculated, so me taking over was a struggle for him. That, and the fact that he was now incredibly sexually frustrated.

"What time are you done tonight?" The song had ended and he didn't look like he was scratching for another one. He wanted us both out of here as quickly as possible.

"I can be out of here in ten," I told him.

"I'll be waiting for you by the door."

I smiled at him. "My place or yours?"

"Mine."

* * *

Woo, ok, I realized how inexperienced I am at writing sexy scenes, so I hope it was okay. If anyone of you want to help me with that, I am more than willing to have someone help, or like Beta for me, or something. Because I really don't want to botch any sexy scenes for you guys. You guys deserve so much more.

Hopefully it won't be another two weeks before I update again, and I will try my best to make sure that doesn't happen. Again, I am so sorry for the wait. I hope you can forgive me :(

Until next time, lovelies!


	21. The One With Valentine's Day

Holy shit. I am so sorry. It has been for-fucking-ever since I last posted, but my life got really hectic and busy really quick. Like, more than usual. But I've finally had some down time to write this chapter. I hope you guys are still with me, because I have more in store for these two. And I've decided to (kind of) reward you for the long wait. So, I will see you lovelies at the bottom :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY**

 **EDWARD POV**

 _Valentine's Day 2016_

Things between Bella and me couldn't have gone any better than they were. We'd been dating for about three months now, and I found myself loving her more and more everyday. It was scary to admit that I was in love with Bella, considering my last relationship was with Lauren, and that hadn't gone so stellar. So, finally coming to terms with the fact that I loved my new girlfriend was definitely a bit of a hardship for me. But, even though there was a lot of self-doubt and hesitation, I knew Bella was really a person I could trust. I still hadn't told her I loved her, though. I wasn't quite ready to admit it to her, yet.

She had insisted that we not to anything beyond hanging out together for our first Valentine's Day together, which shouldn't have surprised me, because she wasn't anything like the girls I had dated before. The girls I had been with in the past liked and expected to be taken out to a fancy dinner and some sort of activity afterward. I had half expected Bella to take me up on the offer of a nice dinner, but she laughed and told me she avoided overly fancy occasions whenever she could, and that a night in together sounded much better. I couldn't help but grin at the memory of her eyes and how they brightened when I offered to make her dinner and watch Grey's Anatomy with her instead.

I was at the hospital on an early shift today, so I'd be home in time to go grocery shopping and start on dinner before Bella arrived at my apartment later that night after her forced shopping trip with Alice and Rosalie. Emmett was apparently taking Rose out on secret date tonight, and Alice had been instructed to get her an appropriate outfit for what he had planned, which he had only told Al and Bella about. Bella despised shopping, I had found out, but Alice always guilted her into it.

This past week I had been on pediatrics, which I was not complaining about, since it was what I planned on going into when my residency was up next year. Today I was being kept busy with a case of a little girl who was brought into the emergency room with a temperature and complaints of aching joints, and what looked like a cold. She was admitted to pediatrics because she had a set of complaining parents who wouldn't take the diagnosis the doctor in the ER gave them. So now, I had to deal with the parents from hell and the little girl who just looked like she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

I was making rounds and decided to look in on the girl, Cynthia. Luckily, it looked like her parents had finally stepped away, leaving their ten year old on an iPad, giggling at whatever she was watching. She seemed so much more at ease now that her parents were gone. They had been non-stop nagging and bickering with each other, doctors, and other staff since they got here. Evidently it was something Cynthia was used to, because I watched her sigh, roll her eyes, and shake her head any time their voices began to raise. I had her test results,-confirming the ER physician's original diagnosis and the one I had identified when I first examined her-but I would have to wait for her parents to get back. I'd figured I'd drop in and see how she was doing anyway.

I knocked on the glass separating her room from the main floor, and I grinned at her as she looked up. She smiled back when she saw me and motioned for me to come in. I went and sat in the chair beside her bed. She closed the iPad and looked at me and then to the files in my hands.

"Are those my tests?" Cynthia asked, nodding toward the manilla folder. When I nodded, she got a grave look on her face. "It's not bad, is it?" Her hazel eyes widened, but then narrowed when I chuckled at her.

"No, Cynthia, you're completely fine," I assured her. "But let's just wait until your parents get here so I can tell you all at the same time."

"Oh, good," she said, placing her hand over her heart dramatically. "You had me scared for a second there, Dr. Cullen."

"I apologize," I told her. "I really just wanted to come in here and see how you were doing. Ask you instead of having your parents answer for you. Sometimes people are more comfortable when it's just them and the doctor."

"My parents like to control things," Cynthia told me, rolling her eyes. "My aunt calls them 'anal retentive', whatever that means."

I chuckled. "It just means they like to have their ducks in a row and for things to go the way that they planned. They don't like surprises, and they don't like things being outside of their control. Some people are just like that, sometimes."

"Yeah, I've noticed," she sighed. "Are you like that Dr. Cullen? My mom says professionals like to control things. But you're a professional, and you don't seem like my parents at all."

I smiled at her. She was incredibly observant for someone so young. "You're right, I'm not like that. I'm still young, though, so I still like how unpredictable the world can be. I wouldn't have a job if the world was perfect."

Her freckled nose wrinkled. "How can you be young? You're older than I am!"

I laughed. "I'm younger than your parents, is all I meant. Your mom and dad have a lot more life experience than I do. I'm younger than all of the other doctors, too."

"How?"

"I finished school early, so I was able to get a job quicker than other doctors."

She squinted her eyes at me. "So you're, like, really smart?"

I shrugged. "I suppose so." I was always modest about my apparent "genius-ness", even around this ten year old. I never liked to brag about myself. I probably never will.

My pager went off then, indicating I was needed elsewhere on the floor for an emergency. I mumbled a curse under my breath, which Cynthia raised her eyebrows at before giving me a mischievous grin. I grinned back sheepishly as I apologized.

"I gotta run, Cynthia, but I'll see you later when your parents get back so we can get you better and back home."

She waved at me as I exitted her room. "Bye, Dr. Cullen! Have a good day," she shouted out after me.

* * *

After my shift at the hospital, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner and a bottle of wine. I was making a pasta dish tonight, one of the only things I actually knew how to make. My cooking skills weren't anywhere close to Bella's, but I had been complimented on this dish before, so I was hoping she wouldn't judge me too harshly once she tried it.

I arrived back home an hour before Bella was supposed to arrive, so I took a quick shower before starting dinner. I was in the middle of slicing up some chicken when there was a knock at my door. Knowing it was Bella, I called out that the door was open, knowing she would let herself in. I was actually planning on giving her a key to my place tonight so she would stop having to knock whenever she came by. Or she could just let herself in when I wasn't here.

We had been spending a lot of time together here. She had spent the night several times, seeing me off in the morning when I left for my shift at the hospital. She was here more often than she was at her own apartment, which was overrun by Alice, Jasper, Em and Rose. She often brought her homework and a couple days' worth of clothing with her during the week. I helped her with her work in between meals and make out sessions.

Our relationship had definitely been progressing in the physical area, as well. Bella seemed to be getting more comfortable with going further each time we were together intimately, although we hadn't actually had sex together yet, which I was looking forward to, but I was definitely okay with just fooling around. At the end of the night, we were both satisfied and she was happy and in my arms, and that's all that mattered. She was getting more touchy and took control of the situation more often than not, which was definitely one of the hottest things ever to happen to me. She was carrying the confidence she had at the club over into our relationship, which I was happy to see. In past conversations with Alice, who I had become weirdly close with over the last few months, she had told me that Bella was never able to exude to same confidence in her real life that she had while dancing on stage. I understood that her two personas were very different people, but I was glad Bambi was able to offer Bella a few pointers.

I felt her arms wrap around my waist as I stood at the counter, continuing to cut the chicken into strips. Her hands were warm as the slid under my shirt and across my stomach. I felt her body press against mine and her lips press against my shoulder blades. Even with her behind me, I could smell the scent that was purely Bella emanating off of her in waves.

"Whatever that is smells really good," she said, her voice mumbled as she kept her lips to my back. I smiled, feeling her words vibrate softly against my shirt.

"Hopefully it tastes just as good," I told her. "I'm not exactly a good cook."

"I'm sure it will be just fine, Edward," she assured me. I could feel her lips pulled up into a smile. "I just appreciate someone else cooking for me. I don't really care what it tastes like."

I finished cutting the chicken and then slid it into a pan that was already hot on the stove. Bella removed her arms so I could wash my hands before I turned to her. I wrapped my arms around her waist now, pulling her so her body was flush to mine. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, accepting eagerly as she parted her lips, deepening the kiss. Her tongue darted out, swiping at my lips before mine met hers in a slow battle.

I could feel my heart rate quickening and my grip on her sides tightening. Her hands snaked up to my shoulders, holding me closely to her. She sighed into my mouth as my thumbs rubbed slowly against her ribs, just under her breasts.

Everywhere she was touching me felt like it was alive with electricity, causing my nerve endings to dance with energy. Everything about Bella excited me, and I never wanted to be without her. When I was at work, there was this pull in my chest that I knew was caused by being away from her. I craved her touch and her presence, and I knew it was beyond just physically having her beside me. I wanted the mental and emotional connection we had, too. I wanted to constantly be talking to her and hearing her talk about the most asinine topics. I wanted to hear about how her day was, because I genuinely wanted to know how everything had gone for her. I had never felt these things for any girl, ever, not even Lauren, who I could have sworn I was in love with, even though I know now that I wasn't.

I knew I was in love with Bella. I had known it for a long time. I knew from the second I saw her that I wasn't going to be able to shake her. I knew from the second she spoke to me that I wasn't going to be able to forget her. I knew from the moment I kissed her that I wasn't going to be able to be away from her. I knew from the moment that she said yes to being my girlfriend that I wasn't going to be able to let her go. I was fucked from the beginning and I couldn't be more content with it.

She pulled away from the kiss before I did, giving me a mischievous smirk. "We better stop before you burn the chicken." She unwound herself from me and walked toward the refrigerator as I turned back to tend to dinner.

"There's a bottle of wine in there, if you'd like some," I informed her. She smiled at me and asked if I wanted a glass as she pulled it out of the fridge. I confirmed and she pulled two wine glasses down from the cupboard next to the fridge. Bella had spent so much time here that she knew this kitchen better than I did.

She poured me a glass and slid it across the counter before pouring herself one and travelling into the living room, perching herself on the couch. She flipped the TV on and changed it to Netflix before selecting Grey's Anatomy. I had watched quite a few episodes with her now, and I was hating it less than I had before, mostly because I watched Bella while she watched it. She laughed and cried at all the appropriate scenes, even though I knew she had seen them several times before. She was dedicated to the characters, though, so I didn't expect anything less.

Once dinner was done, I served it in a bowl and took two of them to the living room, settling in next to Bella on the couch. She draped her legs over mine after I propped them up on the coffee table. She pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over our laps before digging into the pasta. She made small humming noises of approval, but she never took her eyes off the TV screen. I was glad that she was enjoying literally the only meal that I could make.

We set our bowls on the side tables when we were done, and Bella promptly scooted over so she was pressed against my side. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer. She tilted her head up to smile at me, which I returned.

"Thank you for dinner, Edward, it was really good," she said. I leaned down and pressed my lips gently against hers twice before turning back to watch the episode with her.

We watched the rest of the episode together before Bella pulled the blanket off of us, moving to straddle my lap. I grinned up at her, moving to rest my hands on her hips. She smirked down at me, resting her arms on my shoulders, her hands taking up residence in my hair. She knew what her soft pulls did to me, and she had been sure to exploit it every chance that she got. I certainly enjoyed the feeling, and I didn't exactly mind that she had this one thing over me.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" I jokingly asked.

"Mm," she hummed, leaning forward and kissing along my jaw, causing my skin to warm there. "I'm sure you could." Her lips moved to my neck, causing my hands to tighten on her hips.

"How can I be of service to you?" I wondered. The wicked grin that played on her lips when she pulled back to look at me had my stomach flipping in anticipation of her answer. She had been hinting at possibly going all the way with our physical relationship for about a month, and I wondered if tonight was the night that it finally happened.

"Take your clothes off, Cullen," she demanded, her hands moving to the hem of my shirt, deftly gripping it and pulling it over my head with ease. Her hands fell to my shoulders after she threw my shirt to the side, abandoning it somewhere in my living room. Her warm palms ran down my arms once before they laid flat across my pecs, causing goosebumps to erupt across my skin. She leaned down and pressed her lips to my shoulders in open mouthed kisses.

I moved to grab at the bottom of her shirt, but she grasped my wrists and set my hands on the couch by my sides.

"Not yet, Edward," she ordered, giving me a small smile. She slid off the couch, coming to rest on her knees between mine. Her hands trailed down my body, nails scratching lightly over my abdomen, causing the muscles to involuntarily flex and a gasp to escape my mouth. She grinned to herself. Bella had quickly learned all the little spots on my body that garnered a reaction out of me when we were being intimate. She was sure to exploit them whenever possible, not that I minded too much.

She quickly undid my belt and the button and fly of my jeans, pulling the denim down my hips as I lifted them up. I was already hard, which she smirked at when she finally discarded my pants. She wasted no time in gripping me from the outside of my boxers, making me hiss at the contact. Bella was not shy around me whatsoever, which I found incredibly sexy and endearing. I loved that she could be open and comfortable with me, even when we were being the most intimate and vulnerable that any two people could possibly be. It made me want to hug her and hold her close, but not right now. Right now I wanted some sort of relief from the teasing pleasuring she was causing as she slowly stroked me.

"Baby, please," I breathed out, gritting my teeth at the pain of not getting any relief. She was barely moving her hand, and it took everything in me not to push her hand out of the way and pull off my boxers. I needed skin on skin contact, but she was intentionally withholding it from me. It was torture.

"Please what, Edward?" She was nearly purring at me. She was fully aware of the control she had over this situation, and I was almost one hundred percent certain that she got off on it.

"Please touch me, baby."

"I am touching you, Edward." My eyes flitted down to meet hers, only to see the mirth shining in her pupils, taunting me.

"Bella," I begged. I had never been so completely helpless to a woman, and even though I knew I could take control at any time, I wanted Bella to have this. She deserved to be in control sometimes, even though I was itching to just take her how I wanted. If this was going where I thought this was going, I wanted her to have complete control until she told me she didn't want it anymore. It was the least she deserved.

"Okay, baby," she acquiesced, finally hooking her fingers in the waistband of my boxers and pulling them down, much like she had with my jeans a few moments earlier. My dick finally sprang free from its cotton jail. Bella didn't hesitate to take me in her hand, making all the nerves in my body acutely on edge. The groan that escaped me was something I didn't have any control over.

I couldn't take her slow movements anymore; my entire body was on fire and I needed something to soothe the burn, and Bella was only fanning the flames. I leaned forward and took her face in my hands, crashing my mouth to hers. A breathy moan escaped her lips, and she released me from her hand, crawling up my body so she was straddling my lap again. This time, she allowed me to pull her shirt over her head, breaking our kiss only momentarily, and I immediately started running my hands over her soft skin. Her hands were in my hair, tugging at it, making me moan, and her mouth stretched into a smile against mine.

Something about her smugness caused a strong reaction in me, and I growled into her mouth. I gripped her ass as I stood from the couch and walked her to my bedroom, never breaking contact with her lips.

When I got to my bedroom, I laid Bella gently on my bed. I finally removed my lips from hers, only to trail them down her neck, across her shoulders, and then down her chest. When I hit the swell of her breast, I licked my tongue out, leaving a wet trail over her left breast. She hissed and brought a hand to my hair, her breathing picking up the longer my tongue was on her.

I noticed the clasp of her bra was sitting the in the center of her chest, so I quickly undid it, allowing both halves to fall free. She sat up a bit to shrug out of the garment, tossing it to the side. I skimmed my lips past each breast, watching as goosebumps rose on her pale flesh, and kissed down her stomach. Her muscles flexed at the stimulation, and she gasped when I circled my tongue around her belly button.

I pulled back to undo the button on her jeans before pulling them and her underwear down in one movement. I ran my hands up her smooth legs and smiled at her, which she returned. Her eyes were hooded, though, and her chocolate brown eyes had gotten impossibly darker with her arousal.

"Edward," she breathed out. She sounded needy and incredibly turned on, which was exactly where I wanted her.

"Yes baby?" I asked her. I pressed kisses to her knees as I waited for her to answer.

"Touch me, please," she said. She didn't have to tell me twice.

"Anything you want, love."

I moved my kisses further up her legs, making my way to the place we both wanted me to be. When I got to the apex of her thighs, I pressed a kiss to each side of her before looking up at her as I darted my tongue out to lightly lap at her clit. Her hips bucked up off the bed as she whimpered. She had told me a few weeks ago that she had a special place in her heart for being gone down on, so I had made sure to do it as often as possible. And I made a point to tease her with it when I was so inclined.

I was in no place to be teasing her today, though, considering how much I wanted to see her cum, and how much I wanted to cum, as well. I pressed my tongue more firmly against her, and I let out my own moan at the discovery of how wet she was already. I drew her clit gently into my mouth as I gripped her hips in my hands to prevent her from moving too far off the bed. Her hands quickly moved to my hair, lightly gripping the strands at the top of my head and tightening when I did something that she found particularly pleasurable. When I could tell she was getting close, I inserted one finger and hooked it inside her to hit that place inside her that made her fall apart in a matter of seconds.

Just like I thought, only five more seconds of my mouth and my finger and her muscles clamped down, her hands tightened their hold and her back arched slightly off the bed. I kept my eyes on her face; I loved the way her mouth fell open in a silent moan and the way her eyes clenched shut. The red flush that spread across her chest was particularly endearing, since I was used to seeing it only on her face. Everything about this woman was extremely astounding, and sometimes I couldn't believe that I had the pleasure of calling myself hers. I don't know what I had done in this life or any past ones that had allowed me the privilege of even getting to know Isabella Swan, much less love her and make her feel like this.

When she had a few seconds to calm her breathing after her orgasm, I felt her gently pull on my hair, coaxing me up to her. I moved up her body, laying myself between her legs, my hips flush with hers. I could feel the aftermath of her orgasm coating my dick, making me want to push into her, but I still wasn't sure if we were taking this all the way tonight. I was just about to ask her how she wanted to move forward when she began to speak.

"Edward?" she questioned.

"Yes, baby?"

"I'm ready."

I knew I could trust her judgement on this, but I had to be sure. "Are you sure, Bella? I don't mind waiting." Which was the truth. Sure I missed having sex, but I was happy to wait this out for her. She deserved everything I could give her, and if she needed more time, I would give her all the time in the world.

She smiled at me, and she placed her hand on my cheek before softly brushing back the hair that had flopped into my face. "I'm sure, baby. I trust you. And I want you." When she looked into my eyes, I could see the lust, and I pressed my lips against hers.

"Okay, Bella. Anything you want."

* * *

So, uh, don't kill me, but I promise the whole scene will be in the next chapter. And I promise not to take as long as last time to post the next chapter. I have a much better plan for this story now, so you should be getting chapters much more quickly, as long as I get time to sit down and write. Plus, I only have five more weeks of school, so I won't be so busy all the time! So yay for that!

Leave a review, let me know what you guys think. Let me know what you want to see in future chapters. Someone suggested something to me a while ago that I am taking into consideration, so I'll see what happens with that. But will start making bigger jumps in the timeline from now on, because I realize it was dragging on for a while. I really want to get more of the main plot in there, and I want more of the drama to unfold, because, boy, do I have some shit in store for you guys :D

Anyways.

Until next time, lovelies!


	22. The One with the Congratulations

Hello! As promised, I didn't wait nearly a month to upload again haha. I know you guys are kind of chomping at the bit for this, so I'll let you guys get to it ;)

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

 **BELLA POV**

" _Okay, Bella. Anything you want."_

The way his lips caressed my name nearly made me melt, not that I wasn't already turning into a pile of pleasurable mush. Edward's mouth on me had been a favorite over the last few months, and it never failed to turn me into a blithering idiot. If I thought the man was good with his hands, what he could do with his tongue was so much better.

"I want you inside me, Edward," I beseeched him, raising my knees off the bed to encircle his hips with my legs. I moved my hands to his back, scratching lightly along the side of his spine and up to his shoulders. He let out a small hiss between his teeth, his eyes falling shut.

He leaned down and kissed me, supporting himself with one hand as he reached to the side table by his bed. I heard a drawer open as his tongue swept across my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I parted my lips to him, and I heard the crinkling of foil. We had discussed that before today that both of us were clean, and I was on the pill for medical reasons, but Edward said he felt more comfortable wearing a condom. I think the side of him that was a twenty-four year old guy who didn't want children running around any time soon kind of won out over the rational doctor side of him. He had spewed some shit about never being too careful, and that two forms of protection were statistically better than only using one. I knew he was technically right, but I thought it was kind of funny how he viewed it.

Edward broke our kiss, leaving both of us panting and with red lips, to open the wrapper and slip the condom on. I had obviously seen Edward's cock before, and I had been a bit surprised at how _not ugly_ it was when I first saw it, but I appreciated it now more than ever. The way his right hand glided across his shaft as his left held the condom at the tip had me involuntarily licking my lips. Edward saw this motion at smirked at me before saying, "Thinking about something, Swan?"

I grinned back at him. Edward had learned early on that I enjoyed putting my mouth on him just as much as I enjoyed him putting his mouth on me. He had reaped the benefits of that a couple times a week every week for the last couple of months.

"Yeah, but I think I'll save it for later," I responded. "Right now, I don't want that."

He leaned back over me, his elbows supporting his weight on either side of my head. He tenderly brushed my hair back from my face, his eyes wandering steadily across my face, like he was trying to memorize it. In that moment, I felt a surge of such a strong emotion rush through me that I lost my breath. I could see in his eyes and the look on his face that he loved me, and I wasn't even bitter that he hadn't said the words to me. I could see it and I could feel it, and I felt the same way about him, and I hoped he could see the same look in my eyes.

"Are you ready, Bella?" Edward asked, hopefully for the last time, because I was done with him hesitating around me and being careful like I was something fragile that could be broken into a million pieces at the drop of a hat. I needed him to know that I was not a porcelain doll. I knew he knew that I was independent and strong-willed, hard-headed and sure of myself, and that had been shining through outside of the club more recently, and I knew he could see it. But, on some level, I knew Edward wanted to do whatever he could to protect me, even if it was from himself. And while it was endearing, I needed him to know that I could handle him.

"Yes, Edward. And yes, I'm sure," I answered when I saw the question on his lips. With my hands on his waist, I pulled his body towards me, indicating that I wanted him to push forward.

"Okay, baby," he said. He sat back on his heels, his eyes raking down my body, and I felt more sexy in that moment than I ever had, even at the club when I was up on stage. His eyes met mine, and his breathtaking smile warmed my heart, causing me to smile back.

He took himself in his hand, and a second later, I felt him pressing against my sex. Before he pushed himself in he paused, and said, "Tell me if you need me to stop or slow down or pull out. Anything you need."

I nodded and gave him a small smile, assuring him. His body tensed a little bit as he pushed forward slowly but steadily, and I tried to relax as much as possible, making whatever possible discomfort there could be a little lesser. I could feel that he was a quite a ways in, and so far there hadn't been anything more than a mild discomfort. Edward looked to my face from where his eyes had been at the place where our bodies met. Apparently he saw that I was okay, so he pressed forward again until he was all the way inside of me. My initial thought was that I felt very full and it was a feeling I liked when his fingers were in me. I was a little surprised by the lack of pain, which both Alice and Rose had reported to me of their first times, but then, I was also an aspiring doctor and sex worker, and I knew there shouldn't be anything more than mild discomfort, as long as everything was fine and your partner took good care of you. And Edward had definitely taken good care of me.

He had paused, fully inside me, and he leaned over again, his chest pressed against mine. He placed a soft, chaste kiss on my lips. "Ready?"

I nodded at him. I really felt fine, and I was ready for this to become pleasurable. Edward pulled out, leaving just the tip inside, before pushing back in, a little quicker than he had before. That feeling of fullness was now joined by the pleasure I associated with other sexual acts, and a small moan escaped my lips. Edward gave a grin before picking up his pace a little bit, setting a slow steady rhythm for us. Each thrust in was a shot of warmth through my body, and it was almost comforting. His breathing started to become a little labored, and I could feel his heart beating hard against mine.

He kept up his torturously slow rhythm for about a minute before I just couldn't take it anymore. It all felt really great, but I just needed... _more_.

"Edward," I murmured. His eyes hadn't left my face, except for when he squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments every once in awhile, so his eyes were on mine in a second.

He stilled his movements and he got this grave look on his face. "Fuck, are you okay, baby?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his concern. "Edward, I'm fine, but I'd like to be better."

His eyebrows furrowed in the center. "What do you mean?"

I drew my bottom lip between my teeth, unsure of how forward I should be about this. But then, he was my boyfriend, and I loved him and trusted him, and I wanted us to both enjoy this as much as possible. And I planned on enjoying it a lot more often in the very near future, so I needed to get used to voicing my wants now.

"I need you to go faster, Edward," I told him.

His eyebrows raised up on his forehead. "Oh, that's not what I thought you were going to say."

With one last reassurance that I was perfectly fine, Edward began moving his hips again, this time picking up the pace, setting a nice rhythm that was doing a lot more things to my body.

Edward stopped momentarily, sat back on his heels, and grabbed the pillow that was beside my head. He folded it in half, and then gently tapped the side of my hip. I raised my hips for him as he slid that pillow beneath my ass, effectively lifting my body and making him hit that really delicious spot inside me. I moaned just at the pressure, and when he started moving, his hands gripping on my hips, I couldn't stop all the sounds that were coming out of my mouth. He kept the same rhythm, but he put more force behind his thrusts now that he realized that I could take it, that I wanted it.

"Oh, fuck, Edward," I gasped out after he hit that spot a few times in a row. "Fuck, don't stop." I heard him groan as he picked up that pace just a little bit. He knew it was only a matter of seconds after finding that little button inside me until I would be cumming for him, and he liked when I told him what I wanted. It's like he got off on knowing that he was making me feel really good.

I felt that slow burn of pleasure building up in my stomach and with a few more well placed thrusts, I was experiencing probably the best orgasm of my life so far. My muscles clamped down around him inside me, which drew a moan and a low string of swears out of Edward, and the other muscles of my body were slightly spasming, my hands gripping tightly to the sheets on his bed.

"Fuck, Bella." Edward was bucking faster into me, not letting my fully come down from my prior orgasm. That feeling was already building back up inside of me, and I knew I wasn't going to last much longer. "Cum for me again, beautiful." He reached down to where we were connected with one hand and rubbed his thumb quickly back and forth over my clit, causing a new barrage of sensations to assault my body.

I was struggling to catch my breath in between moans, and I could feel my hips rising up to meet his with each thrust on their own volition. My body needed that release again, and I was willing to do anything in order to get it there.

My hips meeting his caused him to groan and drop his head back on his neck. "Fuck," he spat out. "Fuck, baby, cum for me." He propped his head back up and looked into my eyes, his green ones blazing with lust and need and adoration, and something even deeper that was completely primal. "Cum for me, Bella. Please, baby."

His coaxing pushed me over the edge, a long moan ripping out of my throat as I felt all my muscles contract. At some point, sound stopped coming out of me, but the sensation didn't stop. I heard Edward moan as he leaned forward onto his hands, his hips rocking into me still, but I could tell from the look on his face that he was cumming. My body relaxed enough for me to reach up and put my fingers in his hair, tugging gently at the back of his neck to hear him hiss as his hips stopped their movement.

His eyes had been clamped shut, and after a few seconds they drifted open, meeting mine. I smirked at him, thoroughly satisfied with myself. He gave me a sated grin back, then dropped his head down to place a slow, long kiss on my lips. He pulled back after a few moments, pressing his forehead to mine.

"Thank you," he whispered after a few seconds.

"For what?" I giggled.

"For trusting me enough to be your first."

* * *

The next morning I woke up with my back pressed against Edward's chest and his arm slung across my waist. We were both still naked, not having bothered to put on clothes after last night. I could feel his breath blowing against the back of my head, and I was suddenly very aware of his arousal pressing against my lower back. Despite being sore from last night's activities, I could feel myself becoming aroused again.

I involuntarily wiggled against him, and I heard him moan softly in his sleep. I stilled my movements, blushing at my invasion of his personal space, but I was too late. Edward shifted behind me, his cock continuing to press against me, and his arm on my waist tightened. He gave another soft moan just as I felt his lips press against my shoulder.

"Good morning," he mumbled, his voice thick and

raspy with sleep. It kind of turned me on just a little bit, which was not being helped with the position that we were in. I really wanted him again, but I'm not sure how he felt about it.

"Good morning," I replied. I sighed and rolled onto my back, missing his face. His hair was a little more disheveled than usual, and there was a pretty decent amount of hair growth on his face, which I found very attractive. He usually kept himself clean shaven because of work, but I liked that he let it grow out a little bit when he had a few days off in a row.

He leaned down and kissed me, his tongue sweeping across my bottom lip. The kiss quickly heated up, and he shifted his body so he was on top of me. The hand that wasn't holding himself up started roaming up and down my body. There was a silent agreement between us, and he entered me quickly after slipping a condom on, moving slowly at first before setting a good rhythm that had me cumming in a matter of a few minutes. At the end of a half an hour, I had cum another two times and Edward let me put my mouth on him before he orgasmed.

Luckily, I didn't have class until noon today, so I was able to shower and eat breakfast with Edward before leaving his house to drive to the college. My biostatistics class was kind of kicking my ass right now, since I wasn't the best at math, so I had been spending a lot more time at Edward's place than my own. Edward seemed to be great at everything that he did, so he was helping me with the math when he was off from work. Thankfully, I was actually learning when he helped me, so I had a good enough grade in the class, which would hopefully go up after my test on Friday.

I sat in my class, only a little bit lost, for an hour and a half before I had an hour break before evolution. I made my way to the library to work on some proposal I had due the next day in microbiology, when I got a text from Rose.

 _Dinner at the house tonite. Bring Edward and drinks._

I raised an eyebrow at the message. Rose hated planning stuff during the week because her schedule was always so packed. What had happened that she wanted us all together for dinner and drinks on a Monday?

 _Ok, what are we having?_

 _Em's picking something up from the Italian place down the street._

 _Sounds good, we'll grab wine._

I brushed off the sudden plans, thinking that Rose may just miss us, since it had been awhile since we had all spent time together. The last time we had all really been together was on New Year's Eve, and we were all completely hammered and high by the end of the night. I had shared my two party tricks with everyone there that night, which led to Edward and I fooling around in my room before everyone had left. Apparently he found taking shots off of my body and sharing the smoke from a blunt very arousing.

The rest of my day breezed past pretty easily, and I was back at Edward's place before long. When I arrived, he was at the kitchen table studying, surrounded by open books and and loose sheets of paper. His glasses were perched on the end of his nose, and he reached to push them back up when I walked through the door. The smile that lit up his face was breathtaking, and I couldn't help but beaming back at him.

I still couldn't believe that Edward was all mine. Everything about him was completely perfect, and I couldn't believe that I was so lucky to have found him. He was stunning in every way and I always wanted to be near him. The butterflies in my stomach and the constant blushing around him hadn't stopped in the few months we had been together, and I never wanted them to leave. I loved being around a person that made me feel like I was the only person in the world, even when we're in a crowded room. Nothing else existed when Edward was around. I had never felt that way about anyone before.

"How was classes?" he asked.

I walked over and placed my bag in the seat next to him as I answered. "Fine, I edited my grant proposal for lab. Now I can stop stressing about the damn thing."

Edward pushed out his chair and turned to face me, placing his hands on his hips as he looked up at me. "I'm glad you got it done." I could feel the heat radiating from his hands seeping through my jeans. "You can relax and have fun with your friends tonight."

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Are you not going?"

"No, I am, I just have to stress about all this stuff still," he said, gesturing to the papers and books strewn about the table.

"What is this for, exactly?" I asked. I had seen Edward brush up on material before when he started a new rotation, but this seemed a lot more intense.

He sighed, lifting his glasses off his face to pinch the bridge of his nose. He looked so much like Carlisle in that moment.

"We have a pediatric patient coming in tomorrow evening that is presenting with a whole weird set of symptoms and complications. None of her prior pediatricians have been able to diagnose it; they've only been able to control her symptoms, but her health is quickly declining. She's in the beginning of end stage renal failure, and UNOS won't grant her a transplant until some of her other symptoms are under control. And we're nowhere near giving her a diagnosis. So all of us have been told to try to piece together her symptoms and a possible treatment plan."

"Jesus Christ. How can they expect residents to do that?" I wondered. I felt stressed out for him.

"Because the attendings are busy trying to figure out her case, too. It's an all hands on deck situation." He placed his glasses back on and ran his hand through his hair, gripping it tightly.

"I wish I could help." I ran my hands through his hair, pushing his hands out of the way. I didn't like when he tugged so aggressively at it.

"I know, but it'll be okay," he said, a soft smile on his face. His smile dropped quickly. "Hopefully."

I huffed. "Alright, let's stop thinking about some little girl's fate and get ready to go have a good night with our friends. Rose seems weirdly excited, and I'm not sure how I feel about that."

Edward chuckled at me as he rose. "Rose is allowed to be excited every once in awhile. Even if you don't know what it's about." He kissed my forehead, but I saw the mirth in his eyes when talking about Rose.

"What do you know that I don't, Cullen?" I asked. There's no way he knew things about Rose before I did. She had been my best friend for years now, and he barely met her a few months ago. They were friendly, but they weren't close by any means.

He chuckled some more as he walked toward his bedroom. "You'll find out, Swan."

* * *

We arrived back at my apartment around six that night. Edward and I stopped at a grocery store on the way over to grab a few bottles of wine. Edward had complained about dinner when I told him Em was getting Italian, since we had just had pasta last night. I told him there was no such thing as too much pasta, to which he replied with some spiel about how many carbs and salts there were in pasta, and how it was bad for your body, and yada yada yada. I sincerely hoped I didn't get that picky about food once I became a doctor.

We also would have arrived about a half hour earlier if we had left from his apartment when we were originally supposed to. We had both been ready to go, about to walk out the door, when Edward pressed me up against the door and kissed me, which led to a hot makeout session, and then him on his knees and his mouth between my legs. I fell apart twice before he had my jeans back up. I had never cum so many times in a less than twenty-four hour period. It was lovely.

I brushed down my hair before opening the door to my apartment. Edward had this smug look on his face, and I gave him a dull one back. He smiled at me and I couldn't help but laugh.

When we walked in, I could already smell the pasta sauce and meat, and I could hear someone getting plates and silverware out in the kitchen. Em was sitting on the couch watching an episode of Property Brothers, as usual, Jasper was walking into the living room, two beers in his hand, and Rose and Alice were both in the kitchen, putting out dishes.

"Hey, Sweet Cheeks!" Emmett boomed when he saw us. Edward helped me out of my coat while Alice took the bottles of wine from me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Long time no see." He wiggled his eyebrows at me, casting a knowing look between Edward and me. "What have you two been up to?"

"I went to Edward's last night for dinner and I had class today," I told him. Emmett didn't necessarily need to know exactly what Edward and I had been up to, though I knew he probably assumed. I just wasn't going to confirm or deny it, and I knew Edward would keep his trap shut, too.

"Mhmm…" he mumbled, looking me up and down. I rolled my eyes at him before walking into the kitchen to greet his girlfriend.

"Hey, Bells, how have you be-" Rose cut herself off as she turned to face me. Her eyes widened, and mine widened back. I was very confused at what was happening, and looked to Alice to any insight. She just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

Rose placed her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes for a moment before exclaiming, "Holy shit, you two had sex!"

"Oh my God, they totally did," Ali breathed, her face splitting into a grin.

"Ha! I fucking knew it!" Em yelled from the living room. When I looked back at him, he had this smug grin on his face and I glared at him. He shrunk back onto the couch, but the smirk didn't leave his face.

"Congratulations, you two," Jasper said serenely, his Southern drawl more exaggerated than usual. I always found it weird that it came and went at random times, but I had become used to it.

"How the fuck could you tell from looking at me?" I wondered, genuinely curious. Rose was intuitive, that's what was going to make her a good lawyer, but that was just freaky.

"Hon, you've been a little ball of stress since the day I met you, which is understandable, being a biology major. But you look completely zen right now. The only thing that puts that look on anyone's face is sex, and a lot of it. A lot of very good sex." She smirked at Edward and winked at him. I was sure my entire face was the lovely shade of a tomato, but Edward's hand on the small of my back as he guided me to the table soothed it a bit.

Rose brought some wine glasses over to the table and Alice poured four glasses. As Rose handed a glass to Edward, I noticed a new addition to her left hand.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale, what is that on your finger?" I asked her.

She grinned at me. "It's a ring."

"What are you guys talk-oh my God," Alice said, cutting herself off, staring at the object in question.

"What type of ring is that?" I asked.

"An engagement ring." Her smile could have lit up the whole room.

Mine and Alice's smiles nearly matched hers. Alice was basically bouncing in her seat. "I guess congratulations to the both of us is in order."

* * *

So, how was it? Did I do an okay job with the sexy time scenes? I've never actually written one myself before. I've read plenty of them, trust you me. But I've never written one, so hopefully it lived up to your expectations.

Also, Rose and Em are finally engaged! So there's going to be a few weddings in this story, since we have Angela's coming up and now these two are getting married! Woo!

Anyways, let me know what you all think. Leave me a review, let me know what you want to see. I have some concrete plans for this now, so hopefully you guys don't feel like its dragging out anymore.

Until next time, lovelies!


	23. The One With the Creep

I am so incredibly sorry for the long wait, but the next chapter is finally here! I was really busy these last few weeks with finals and moving out of the dorms, but I am finally back home for the summer, so you should be seeing uploads a lot more frequently. I won't keep you guys waiting any longer, so I hope you enjoy and I will see you at the bottom :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

 **BELLA POV**

 _February 26th, 2016_

"Do you have to go in today?" Edward whined, giving me his best pouty face. I admit, it was quite adorable, but it was really getting him nowhere. I had bills to pay and college loans to stay away from, so going to work took precedence over staying in bed with him, unfortunately.

The weeks since I lost my virginity to Edward had been filled with a lot of secret, and not to secret, trysts between us. Edward took every opportunity he could to get the both of us naked, and, if I was being honest, I had initiated a lot of them, too. While we tended to stay in bed on the days that he and I had off together, or after my classes during the week, there were a lot of times when we got together for a quicky. Like the time last week when I stopped by the hospital to bring him lunch from the diner down the street, and he pulled me into an on-call room to bury his face between my legs as a thank you. Or the time earlier in the week that he stopped by my school to have lunch with me before he had to go to work, which resulted in us finding an empty lecture hall and fucking against the door. We'd nearly been caught during that one, but Edward had heard someone coming in just enough time for him to tuck himself back in his pants and snatch my panties up of the floor and shove them in his pocket. Luckily, I had been wearing a skirt that day with some thigh high socks, so we'd been able to duck out just in time for the professor to round the corner and offer us both small smiles.

"I do, unfortunately," I told him, grabbing the throw blanket from the end of my bad to wrap around my naked body as I picked up my clothes to throw in my hamper. Both Alice and Rosalie were in class and Em was at work, so Edward and I had had the house to ourselves before I had to start getting ready. This was one of the rare occasions when Edward had a weekend off, but with school starting back up again, my weekend nights had to be dedicated to working at the club. I was still casually thinking about quitting and finding a job somewhere else, but I wasn't going to until I thought being away from the club was absolutely necessary, and that would probably be when Edward began to think working there was a bad idea. He hadn't said anything yet, and his only protests about me going to work were that I had to end our love making.

"What am I going to do without you, though?" he pouted some more. He got out of the bed, butt naked, and wrapped his arms around my middle. I took a second to admire his profile in my mirror, taking note of his strong, lean legs, absurdly round ass, chiseled torso, and his sinewy arms, flexing with their hold around me. He was nearly as pale as I was right now, due to the cold weather, but I knew from the many pictures I had seen on his Instagram that he would tan up nicely in the summer months.

"You can come visit me at work," I suggested, pressing kisses to his shoulders, up his neck and along his jaw. "You could pretend to be a normal customer completely enamored by Bambi on stage. You could catch her eye and watch her dance as she stole glances at you. And then, when her set is done, you could ask for her in a private room, so she could dance just for you." I ended my narrative by placing a chaste kiss to his lips before darting out of his arms and across the hall to the bathroom.

Like I knew he would, he followed after me and closed the door behind him. I heard him say, "Mm, and where have I heard this one before?" as I turned the water on in the shower. I dropped the blanket and I felt his body pressed against my back the second it was on the floor.

"I don't know, but I think I like where it's going." I hummed as he pressed open mouthed kisses to my shoulders and neck. His hands caressed their way from my waist to my breasts, kneading them lightly before he took my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, pinching and rolling them, eliciting a pleasurable gasp from me.

"At least let me get in the shower first," I breathed out. I really did need to start getting ready for work, but I wasn't ever going to deny being pawed at by my gorgeous boyfriend.

Edward slid the door aside and helped me in before stepping in behind me and resuming his hands' positions on my body. He continued kissing and nipping lightly at my neck and shoulders as his right hand trailed down my body before his fingers slipped between my legs. I let out a breathy moan as he brushed lightly against my clit, teasing me with his slow ministrations.

"Edward," I whimpered, my voice sounding desperate to my own ears. I was extremely sensitive from the session we had just completed in my bedroom before we got in the shower. Edward had a love for giving oral, and he also rubbed his thumb across the little nub whenever he wanted me to cum quickly. All of the stimulation made for a very sensitive area that he liked to exploit any chance that he got. Like right now.

He kept lightly stroking as he whispered in my ear, "Yes, love?" I felt his teeth gently nip at my earlobe, causing me to gasp again.

"Fuck me," I groaned just as he plunged two fingers into me, pumping slowly. My legs were already trembling from the sensations he was causing, and there was no way I was going to be able to keep myself standing when I came.

"As you wish, baby," Edward breathed against my shoulder. His fingers slipped out of me and he nudged me to turn around so I was facing him. He gripped my thighs in his hands and hoisted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He plunged his hard cock into me, causing us both to moan out at the connection.

"I've never had shower sex before, and holy fuck, I was missing out," Edward moaned. His eyes squeezed closed momentarily before he started pounding into me at a hard, steady rhythm.

"Oh my god," I moaned. "Oh fuck, Edward."

"I take it you like it, too," he smirked. I would've smacked the smug look off his face if I wasn't about five seconds away from cumming all over him for the tenth time that day.

* * *

"Bambi, I need you ready as soon as possible," Caius, my boss, said, peeking his head through the door of the dressing room. "Tanya called in because her kid is sick, so I have a stage to fill before the rest of the girls start coming in."

It was Friday, and we'd be busy later on, so most of the girls that worked here would be coming in, but it was only eight, so there were only six of us here. Four of us filled up the stages and the other two would work the floor.

"I just need to change, and I'll be right out," I nodded to him, throwing my makeup back into my bag and zipping it up. I caught a bit of the song playing in the club through the cracked door, and my eyebrows creased as I looked back at Caius. "Why are we playing this American Top 40 shit right now?" Don't get me wrong, I jammed out to this crap in my car on my way to work, but it wasn't really club appropriate music.

Caius groaned as he rolled his eyes. "We're doing a college promotion since they all just started a new term. This is the crap kids your age listen to, so it's what's happening."

"Doesn't mean I wanna dance to it," I grumbled as he chuckled at me. "I'll be out in five." He continued chuckling as I waved him off so I could change.

I slipped on a pair of black high waisted cheeky shorts, zipped myself into a cheetah print bustier, pulled on black thigh-high socks and strapped on my silver Pleasers. Rose walked in just as I was about to walk out and insisted that I spray on some body glitter, which I begrudged her. I waited a few seconds for her to touch up her makeup before we walked into the club together. We took stages opposite of each other and we gave each other a look when Cake by the Ocean started up.

 _How the hell am I supposed to pole dance to this?_

I eventually figured it out, despite the too fast tempo of the song. Luckily, college aged guys didn't really know the fine points of pole dancing, so they didn't seem to notice the awkwardness all of the dancers were pushing through to figure out the beat to dance to. All the men actually seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, and I internally rolled my eyes at guys my own age. I needed them to come in on a day when the music actually worked with our dancing, and then they'd hopefully see what a difference the song choice made. Contrary to popular belief, slower, more sultry songs actually worked a little better.

Luckily, I hadn't yet noticed any guys that I went to school with, or at least guys that would know who I was. Most likely the ones in the pre-med program weren't spending their Friday night at a strip club across the Willamette. If I didn't work here, I'd definitely be in my apartment drinking with my friends, not out at a club spending money.

The song eventually changed to a song by the Weekend, which I actually enjoyed dancing to, thank goodness. I knew I was in for a long night of crap songs that got overplayed on the radio, so I was going to thoroughly enjoy this small reprieve.

A few songs passes with little complaints from the other girls and me. I think we were all just thankful that the guys were tipping pretty well. Usually college guys were a little stingy with their money, but I could tell most of them were pretty buzzed and loosening up, at least the ones that were old enough to drink. We still had a while until more girls came in to relieve us of our positions. Rose would take off first, since she had the first featured show of the night, and then my time on the stage would take place right after her.

Just as I was tuning out the awful music, a particularly obnoxious song by Jason Derulo blasted through the speakers. All of us that were dancing shared a look of disgust that I knew some of the customers saw. The lyrics to the song were atrocious. How anyone could call this a Top 40 hit was beyond me.

I danced for a few more songs before a girl from the floor had me switch with her. I thanked her profusely as we shared a knowing look about the song selection, and I gathered my money from off the stage. I stuck it in the straps of my top and the hem of my shorts. I had picked up several fives and tens off the stage along with a couple generous twenties and the obligatory ones, so I had a feeling tonight was going to be a pretty good night.

I walked around and chatted to the customers, offering them lapdances and telling them I was available for private dances. Some promised to take me up on it as soon as the rooms opened up in the back, and the excitement of making a lot of money coursed through my veins. The weekends were a great time in Portland strip clubs, and I hadn't worked one in a few weeks. My bank account was pretty cushy most of the time, but it had been lacking lately, and I was glad that I was going to be replenishing it.

As I walked through the club to take a quick bathroom break and store my money in my locker, I felt a quick sting on my ass at the same time that I heard a sharp smacking sound. I yelped and turned to berate the guy that had dared laid his hands on me, but I was gently shoved into a dark corner near the entrance of our dressing room. I was infuriated at this point and was about thirty seconds from yelling for security.

"Listen, motherfucker, I don't know who you think you are, but we have a strict 'no touching' policy in this club. Now get your fucking hands off of me before I-"

The deep chuckle that resonated in my ear was so warm and so familiar, the fight immediately left me. "Before you what, babe?"

"Goddammit, Edward, don't sneak up on me like that!" I scolded, lightly hitting his chest. "You can't do that shit while I'm at work. At least when the other customers can see."

"Sorry, baby, I couldn't help it. You look really good in these shorts," he tried to appease, a smirk slipping onto his face.

"Well, you can see me in them all you want after I get out of here tonight." I promised, running my hands over his chest. "Maybe a striptease before bed? And there you can touch me as much as you want."

He hummed and brushed his fingers across my forehead, pushing my hair away that was falling into my eyes. "Promise?"

"Absolutely." I smiled at him, nuzzling my cheek into his warm palm."I'll be out of here by 1 at the latest, and I promise to come straight to your place afterward.

"Good, I'll be waiting."

* * *

By the time I took my first break of the night, I had already made twelve hundred dollars. I was only going to be working another two hours, but frat boys apparently had money, and they liked to tip well when they were drunk and you gave them a private dance. I had given three private sessions, and they had all tipped enough for me to get one thousand from those alone. The other two hundred I had made on tips and lapdances. So far, it was a pretty good night.

That was until I gave my fourth private session of the night.

"There's a guy in room 2 asking for you," Bree told me as I was just finishing up a lapdance.

I nodded to her, indicating that I had heard her. She smiled to my customer before walking away, quickly finding someone to dance for.

The man thanked me and handed me forty for the two songs and another twenty for a tip, which I thanked him for. Since he had been considerate during the dance, I let him squeeze the bills into the hem of my shorts before smiling and walking toward the private rooms.

I knocked on the door twice before opening it and stepping in. I closed it gently behind me, hearing some actual decent music flowing through the speakers now. It was pretty dimly lit in the room, so I couldn't make out much about the customer besides that he was wearing a dark suit, with his jacket hanging on the back of the chair. The scene reminded me a lot of the first time that I had met Edward, but this man had a more stocky build than my gorgeous, lithe boyfriend. I could tell his head was turned in my direction, so I gave him a small smile.

"How do you want me, hon?" I asked, walking more toward the middle of the room.

"Just on the pole, gorgeous," came his smooth voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, and I tried to place it as I took my stance near the pole, waiting for the song to start. I felt like I had heard his voice recently, but I couldn't place it as a guy from school. It was possible that he was just a somewhat regular at the club and I had encountered him before, but then I figured he would have addressed me in a more friendly manner.

 _What does it matter? Just dance for the guy._

I was pleased to hear that the song coming through the speakers in the room was Zayn Malik's new song and not the crap that had been playing out on the floor. I slowly made my way around the pole and stole glances at my customer every few seconds. I made it through the entire song without giving much thought to his identity.

The second song began playing, and he didn't speak to me, so I figured he was fine with me staying on the pole. It usually took a couple songs for them to warm up to the idea of me giving them a private lap dance, even though it was really no different than if I were to give a lap dance out on the floor. I gave them their space, though, until they requested that I come to them.

I finished the second song, and then I heard him request me.

"Come dance for me, Bella."

I abided to the request, slowly making my way over to him to the beat of the new song. It took me a few moments before I realized why his request sounded strange to my ears. I paused my movements and looked at him, squinting to try to make out his features in the dim room. I knew he wasn't anyone who I spent time with regularly. His voice was vaguely familiar in the recesses of my mind.

"Do I know you?" I asked, still slinking closer. I still owed this guy a dance, but I was apprehensive of this whole situation. He knew me and I didn't know him, and I didn't like that in the slightest.

He pressed his hand to his chest in mock hurt. "You wound me, Bella. You don't remember me? We met near Christmas." He leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees. His face became illuminated under one of the dim lights in the room.

My eyes widened as I finally recognized his face from when I met him at the Cullen's dinner party.

"Jared, what are you doing in Portland?" This guy worked with Edward's dad in Seattle.

"What are you doing in a strip club, Bella?" He tilted his head to the side, looking at me quizzically, though I knew it was a faux emotion, since a smirk pulled across his face. "Well, I know _what_ you're doing here, obviously. I just didn't expect it from the girl that showed up in the white dress and angelic face at the Cullen's dinner party."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Jared," I told him shortly, dancing for him to the slow beat of the song. I just wanted to get the rest of the songs over with so I could get my money and hightail it the fuck out of the club. Something about Jared's presence felt very wrong to me, and it was almost suffocating in this small room.

"I can see that," he hummed. He set the drink he had previously held in his hand onto the small table beside him. "I want to get to know more, though, Bella." The way my name fell out of his mouth was rubbing me the wrong way, especially since I was in my place of business. I didn't appreciate customers trying to figure out my real name, and I appreciated it even less that this guy already knew it.

Ignoring his statement, I told him, "You never answered my question." I turned my back toward him and proceeded to give him a typical lap dance, just so I wouldn't have to look at his sneering face any longer. I knew he was just going to take this as an opportunity to stare at my ass, but I really couldn't care less.

"I'm here for business. Carlisle sent me to meet with a neurologist that has shown interest in our research."

Appeased with his answer, and realizing he probably had no prior knowledge that I worked here, I simply nodded at him and continued dancing.

As the next song began, Jared spoke up again after about a minute of silence.

"How about I take you out, Bella? What time do you get off?"

I rolled my eyes at his request. "I'm not interested."

I felt his hands snake their way onto my hips as he said, "Come on, baby, don't be like that. I can make it worth your while." I felt his words breath into my ear and I nearly puked as I gripped his wrists and threw his hands off of me.

I turned on him, thanking the stripper gods that I had practiced enough to not fall over in my ridiculously tall pleasers.

"We have a strict 'no touching' policy at Lucky Devil. Lay your hands on me again, and I will call security on you. And you better hope they get here fast enough so that I don't have a go at you first."

I saw his eyes widen comically, which gave me a small moment of satisfaction, before the scared look was replaced with another one of his slimy smirks.

"You want to be a doctor, don't you, Bella?" he asked. There was a taunting tone in his voice that I knew meant he was about to cause some trouble.

When I didn't answer him, he continued. "How would your future prospective employers react when they find out you're a stripper? That you work in one of the most lowly professions there ever was? You're only a small step away from having sex with random men for money. Though, as far as I know, you already do."

I narrowed my eyes at him, the flush in my face arising out of anger instead of embarrassment. "And how would your colleagues react when they find out you went out of your way to a srip club and paid said sex worker for a lap dance?" I gestured to myself, and swung my hips down to the beat of the music. "Or that you're so pathetic that you had to pay a woman to pay attention to you, and that while she gains no pleasure out of the act, besides the earning of money, you're over here getting hard at a woman hardly even touching you."

The song ended and I backed away from him.

His smirk turned into a frown. "You only proved that we both have a wayward sense of morality. But the difference between you and me is that I already have a job, and you're just a third year pre-med student on her way to entering a world that will shun her for her past indiscretions."

"I have a perfectly fine sense of morality. My job is no indication of who I am as a person. And it's not an indiscretion, it's how I make a living. So while you're sitting on $200,000 worth of student loans, I'm debt free. And I don't need my mommy and daddy to help me out.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you paid me so I can leave."

Jared raised his hands in surrender before reaching behind him to grab his jacket. He pulled a stack of fifties out of his wallet, handing me three hundred dollars worth. I went to open the door, but his arm intercepted me, pressing the door closed.

"Let me show you a good time, Bella," he proposed and I tried to repress the shiver that was threatening to run down my spine, "and I'll forget all about the fact that you're a sex worker. Edward won't ever have to find out."

I wasn't sure if he was saying Edward wouldn't have to find out I was a stripper, or if he wouldn't have to find out Jared and I were sleeping together. Either way, I was really tired of having this conversation.

"You accused me of being a prostitute, yet here you are propositioning _me_. You're pathetic," I scoffed.

I saw anger flash in his deep brown eyes, and it didn't pass quickly like his other emotions had tonight.

"You're going to regret that, Bella," he swore. I just glared at him. "Call me when you change your mind." He pulled out a business card from his pocket, practically throwing it at me. I let it flutter to the ground. "Or kiss your prestigious future career goodbye. Your choice."

* * *

So, Jared returns and he is more slimy than I have ever seen him portrayed in any story on here that I have ever read. Whoops. I really didn't intend for this to happen when I first wrote him into the story, but I got an idea and he happened to be my victim. Sorry, not sorry.

Let me know what you guys think. I'm always willing to hear your opinions, what you think should happen, any cute little scenes you might want to see. Hopefully you guys aren't getting bored with this story. I know the waits have been long, but I really want to push this story along. I have a few key moments I want to touch on in this story, and they'll hopefully get the plot moving along nicely. I don't want this story to be too ridiculously long, so I'm trying to speed things up. I can promise you the next chapter will be some of Angela's wedding and then some more drama, with a little bit of lovey stuff thrown in.

Until next time, lovelies :)


	24. The One with the Wedding

Guys! Look at me, uploading in a timely manner. Here is a little bit of loving, a little bit of drama, and a whole lot of wedding. I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

 **BELLA POV**

Edward got his promised lap dance that night, complete with the shorts he loved me in so much and all the touching we weren't allowed to do in the club. A lap dance led to touching, and touching led to foreplay, and foreplay led to two hours of the most intense sex I've ever had.

He had started off rough, placing me on my hands and knees and grabbing my hips roughly while he pounded into me from behind. He'd occasionally lightly slap my ass, just enough for me to hiss in the mixture of pain and pleasure. He wrapped his hand around my hair, lightly tugging on it as the sound of our flesh smacking together and our pants and moans filled the room. I came twice in that position alone.

After that, he rolled me on my back and placed his body flush against mine, pushing himself inside me so slow and tenderly, brushing his fingers through my hair as he did so. He pressed an infinite amount of kisses to my face and lips, whispering how beautiful I was and how much he appreciated me and the role I played in his life. I could feel tears slowly forming in my eyes and then rolling down the sides of my face. The emotion he was putting into his words was too much mixed with the intense feelings he was causing with his body. In that moment, I felt the most whole and loved that I had ever felt in my life.

"Isabella, you're the best thing to ever happen to me-ah, fuck," he breathed out, both of our orgasms swiftly approaching. "I can't thank you enough for being such an amazing person."

My body began to tense with the imminence of my orgasm and I let out a low moan.

"Fuck, not yet, baby. Just a little bit longer," Edward pleaded.

I nodded to tell him that I would hold off as long as I could, but I could make no promise that it would actually work out.

"Bella, angel, I love you so much," he whispered in my ear. "I love you, baby. And I'm never going to let you go."

His words sent me over the edge, causing my body to spasm. He grunted as he thrusted through his own orgasm. When we were both spent, he rolled us on our side so we were facing each other.

When I had finally caught my breath and my heart had stopped racing quite so fast, I nuzzled my face into his neck and placed a single kiss where my lips met his skin.

"I love you too, Edward. So much."

I felt him press his lips to the top of my head just as my mind drifted into a very peaceful sleep.

* * *

Unfortunately, waking up on Saturday morning wasn't as peaceful. Well, it was in the beginning, considering I woke up to my boyfriend's soft whispers in my ear about how much he loved me, which was the most amazing thing to hear. Every fiber of my being felt content and safe while his body was pressed into mine, the feeling of his love completely overwhelming me. I had always known that he loved me, even though he had never said it out loud. But hearing him actually speak those words was one of the most euphoric feelings I had ever experienced.

After cuddling, which turned into an orgasm or two from morning oral, Edward and I got out of bed at around eleven. He took a quick shower while I started the coffee machine. Once he had hopped out, he let me use the shower while he took a quick trip to the donut shop down the street. He hadn't been shopping in a while, so the only real food in his fridge was coffee creamer, milk, two eggs, a package of hot dogs, some waters, and a six pack of beers. I had rolled my eyes at how inherently male his food selection was when I opened the fridge that morning.

Just as I was stepping out of the shower, I heard my phone begin to ring on Edward's night stand at the same time as his bedroom door opened.

"Edward, can you answer that for me?" I called out, not wanting to rush out of the bathroom for a stupid phone call.

"It's an unknown number, babe," he called back.

"That's ok, it might be a girl from the club or someone in my class. I don't always get people's numbers."

I heard Edward oblige and answer my phone, letting the person know they had reached me. I had just finished toweling my hair and wiping all the water droplets from my body when I heard Edward's voice raise a few decibels.

"Who the fuck is this and why are you calling Bella?"

My eyes widened at his tone and I hurried to open the bathroom door. Now I really wanted to know who had called me and why what they had to say had made Edward so mad. I can't say I've ever really heard him raise his voice in all the time that I'd known him, so this was definitely concerning.

By the time I made it to Edward's side, he had already ended the call, and my phone was sitting in the middle of his bed, like he had tossed it down in anger. His jaw was tensing rhythmically in time with his fists that were down by his sides, and I knew whatever this person had said had really pissed him off. I had seen Edward upset before, but he was positively seething now. If I wasn't so concerned as to why he was angry, I'd find this whole look incredibly attractive.

"Who was that? What did they say?" I asked, not really giving him time to answer. I laid my hand on his bicep before sliding it further down his arm, curling my hand around his clenched fist in an attempt to get him to release the tension. My touch seemed to calm him minutely, but he was still raging.

"Some guy answered, asking for you," he began, his voice low and dangerous.

 _Oh yeah, definitely need to get Edward riled up before sex at some point._

"When I told him you couldn't come to the phone, he said, 'Tell Bella to think about what I proposed last night. If she wants a career in medicine, she'd better think hard about my offer.'"

"Fuck," I muttered, more to myself than Edward. "How did that asshole get my number?"

"Who was that, Bella? What the fuck was he talking about?" Edward seemed more scared now than he had a few moments earlier. I think the threat to my future career was more concerning for him than the fact that an unknown man was calling my cellphone and giving him cryptic messages to pass along to me. Well, they were both probably equally concerning, but his anger had moved onto concern.

I sighed, plopping myself down on the bed, lying on my back. I laid me forearm across my forehead before answering.

"That was Jared, you're father's colleague on the Alzheimer's research."

"That douche from my parents' dinner party?" he wondered, his eyebrows furrowing. He sat himself beside me on the bed. "What the fuck does he want?"

I regaled to Edward about how I ran into him at club last night while giving him a private session. I told him about how Jared had threatened to tell any future employers that I was a stripper and possibly a prostitute. I cringed when I had to tell him that Jared had offered to let it all go if I slept with him. Edward's nostrils flared and his jaw flexed very noticeably when I relayed that information, and I put my hand on his thigh to sooth him. I let him know that I had knocked Jared down a peg or two, but that he still persisted with his threat and his proposition. I realized while I was playing the information back for Edward, I had no idea as to how I was going to deal with it. Jared hadn't given me a deadline or anything, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to avoid this problem forever. I just needed to get through this next week and then the weekend for Angela's bachelorette party and wedding, and then I could deal with crazy neurologists.

Rose, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I left Portland the following Thursday in a rented Chevy Tahoe so we wouldn't have to take two cars. We left just before noon, so we stopped to get lunch just before arriving at the ferry. We checked into our hotel by three o'clock and I called Angela to tell her we arrived as Edward was pulling our luggage into the room.

"Bella! Did you check in okay?" she asked as soon as she answered the phone. I couldn't help but smile at her cheery voice. Her bubbly personality was a bit of a reprieve compared to the hard week I had.

"Yeah, Ang, everything went fine," I affirmed. I plopped myself down onto the bed with a heart sigh. "I'm definitely ready for a nap though." She chuckled at me.

"Well, you've got a few hours before the rehearsal dinner, so you have time for one." I heard Ben's deeper voice muffled in the background. "Oh, yeah, and Ben would like to go to a bar so the eight of us can hang out together afterwards."

"You're still willing to be dragged along to bars?" I asked, a snicker in my voice. Angela had never really been a big drinker even before she got pregnant, and she went to bars with Ben just because she was a good girlfriend, even though she couldn't yet order a drink for herself. She was twenty-one now, but Ben was two years older, so they went out at least every other weekend.

She laughed. "I actually don't mind. Especially when I'm there with people I actually enjoy being around. You guys are a far cry from Ben's stuffy professors and weird friends from high school."

I heard Ben protest in the background, and I couldn't help but laugh. I could almost sense the eye roll Angela was giving him.

"Anyways, I'll see you soon, B."

"Bye, Angie."

As soon as I hung up, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pulling my back against his chest. I felt his lips press lightly against my neck as his hands moved up and he slipped my jacket down my arms. Once he had is off, he flung it somewhere in the room before moving me towards the bed. I sighed at his feather-light kisses and touches. He coaxed me to lay on the bed and proceeded to slip my boots off my feet. He toed his own shoes off before joining me on the bed. He laid facing me, his arm draped over my waist.

"I think it's a good time for a nap," he sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his lips to my forehead.

I smiled at his affection. I don't think I'd ever get tired of Edward expressing his love for me in these sweet little ways.

"I think so, too."

* * *

We arrived at the restaurant Ben and Angela were holding their rehearsal dinner at about ten minutes before seven. As soon as Alice spotted Angela, who was looking decently pregnant at this point, she squealed and rushed over to her, enveloping her in a warm hug. I chuckled at the little pixie's zeal, and Edward shook his head, an amused smile on his face, beside me.

"How's my godson doing?" I asked Ang, greeting her with a hug.

"Sleeping on my bladder and using my intestines as a punching bag," she sighed. "I wouldn't trade it for the world, thought." She beamed at me. "Just wait until you get pregnant, Bella. You're gonna have a blast."

I chuckled. "That won't be happening for a long time."

"What won't be happening for a long time?" Edward asked as he approached us after greeting Ben. He had a glass of bourbon on the rocks already in his hand, the drink he always had in his hand at the club.

I was going to avoid the baby thing and tell him Angela and I had been talking of something else, but my friend beat me to it. "You knocking Bella up, apparently."

Edward had just taken a sip of his drink, and it kind of dribbled out as he sputtered when Angela relayed to him our conversation. I blushed at her easy mention of Edward and I having children together, even though it was something that I had fantasized about a lot. We had only been together for two and a half months, but Edward was beautiful and amazing. What girl wouldn't dream of having his excellent genes passed onto their children?

Angela laughed and patted my shoulder before flitting off to greet more people that had arrived. I grimaced as Edward sputtered a little bit still, before coughing to clear his throat. He sat his glass on a nearby table before facing me fully.

"Edward, just ignore Angela. She's got a big mouth and is weird from the pregnancy hormones," I told him. I knew guys typically got weird when talking about babies with women they had only been dating for a few months. Babies were never really a good discussion unless you were both ready for children. I don't think neither Edward nor I were ready for children, or ready for even thinking about children.

"It's okay, Bella. It's normal for pregnant women to talk about things like that. It just caught me off guard," he assured, a beautiful smile breaking across his face. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled my closer to him before murmuring, "And you better believe I'd want nothing more to have children with you one day."

I blushed for an entirely different reason now.

* * *

After the rehearsal dinner, the six of us from Portland and Ben and Angela headed to a local bar that Ben liked to hang out at every once in awhile. We drank and laughed and told stories, and we all danced. It was nice to be dancing for me and to have a good time instead of for money. I loved my job, but it was definitely nice to dance for leisure.

Edward and I fell into bed that night, too exhausted to do much but cuddle together and share slow, tender kisses and sweet caresses. We fell asleep wrapped around each other and I woke up in a similar position the next morning, his warm breath washing across my face in short little bursts.

I laid and admired him for a few minutes, noting the reddish-blonde stubble that had taken up residence on his strong, square jaw that was so sharp, I swear it could cut diamonds. His lips were parted slightly, and I lightly brushed my finger over the pouty flesh. His nose was slightly crooked, but it complimented his face so well, I hardly noticed it, even when studying his face. His cheekbones were defined, making his features incredibly chiseled all around. His eyelashes were unfairly long for a male and fanned across the very tops of his cheeks. His eyebrows were full and somewhat unruly from sleep, but they were shaped, again, unfairly. His hair, which had been recently cut for the wedding, was still long and out of control with tossing and turning, but would be manageable enough for the ceremony.

I lightly kissed his nose before carefully extricating myself from his embrace so I could use the restroom and see what everyone else was doing before the bachelor and bachelorette parties that evening.

I called Alice as soon as I was done peeing to see what her and Jasper had planned. She said Rose and Em wanted to go out to brunch once everyone was up and ready. I agreed that it sounded like a good idea and agreed to meet them in the lobby by 10:30.

Edward was awake but groggy when I walked back into the room. He gave me a sleepy smile and patted the space where I was until ten minutes ago. I cuddled back into him and told him about brunch plans. He agreed to be ready in about half an hour, and to save time, we showered together, and thankfully, and regretfully, kept the touching to a minimum, so that it actually was a time saver.

We made it on time to meet the other four in the lobby before trekking down the block to a Mexican restaurant that served a brunch buffet in the mornings. Unfortunately, they actually check ID and Alice and I were unable to order mimosas, which we were a little bitter about. Alice would be twenty-one in about two weeks, so she was especially bitter. It was entertaining to see her pout as Jasper sipped on his own drink.

After brunch, Edward and I visited his parents, since we had a few hours to kill. They lived only about a half hour from our hotel, and Esme wanted to have us over since both her and Carlisle had a rare day off together.

Esme greeted us both with hugs and kisses to the cheeks. She waved us into the living room, where Carlisle was sitting with a mug of what looked like tea in his hand, some home renovation show on the TV. He rose off the couch and he pulled Edward into a rough man-hug and then pulled me gently into him.

Esme brought mugs in for Edward and me, and we spent a couple of hours talking. They asked about how school was going for me and how Edward was handling his second year of residency. He was nearly at the end of the second year of his three years of residency before he had the chance to secure an attending position in the pediatrics department of the hospital he was currently working in, or search for other options. I was hoping he would choose to stay at OHSU so we'd be close until I graduated, assuming we would still be together in a year. I really hope we would be together in a year.

Around five, we decided it was a good time to head back in order to meet up with everyone else to start our nights. Even though Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were not part of the wedding party, Ben had graciously asked them to join him for his bachelor party with his friends and some family.

Angela had never really had a lot of female friends when we were in school and even now that we've been in college. I was pretty much her only gal pal, so most of her friends were males. That being said, Alice and Rose were asked to be bridesmaids, along with her one female cousin and her sister. I hadn't asked how Maggie, her sister, felt about not being a maid of honor, but the fact that I hadn't heard anything probably meant there wasn't a problem. I feel like Angela and I were much closer that Angela and Maggie had ever been.

Edward and I separated from each other after getting necessary things from our hotel room. He promised to try not to be back too late, even though the guys were going bar hopping, but I assured him it was fine. I planned on coming back to the hotel like a bag of jelly, so I had every intention of falling into bed and sleeping until about ten the next morning.

Since Angela was pregnant, we had decided on going to a spa as her bachelorette party. That way we could get our nails done for the wedding and get glorious massages, which we all definitely deserved. We were all busy, stressed college students that seriously needed a good stress-relieving night, so I hadn't heard any complaints from anyone when I had sent them texts to inform them of my idea a few weeks ago.

We all met up at a spa that was a few miles from our hotel that had gotten really good reviews everywhere that I looked. We checked in and we were all taken back to slip into robes within a few minutes of arriving. Our massages were first, which, I was right, turned me into jelly. And then we got facials as they gave us manicures. At the end was our pedicures, and then we parted for the night, making arrangements for when we were meeting at the church the next day. The ceremony wasn't until three in the afternoon, but we all had to get ready and help get Angela ready. Rose, the amazing makeup artist that she was, offered to do all our makeup, so we had one less thing to pay for for the wedding. Makeup artists are fucking expensive.

We were at the church the next morning by eleven, while the guys stayed back at the hotel, since all they had to do was get dressed and do their hair. Edward laughed at me as I grumbled around the room that morning as I was gathering all the things I would need. He kissed me goodbye and promised it would be worth it once Ben and Angela were married. And then I'd have to do it all over again for Rose and Em in about a year. That made me groan even more.

While getting ready for a wedding was one of the most stress-inducing, awful things that I've done in a long time, I really did enjoy the dresses Angela picked out for us. Her color theme was rose gold and charcoal grey, so our dresses were the most beautiful v-neck, sleeveless rose gold dresses, with sequined tops and long tulle skirts. Rose gave us all similar makeup looks and then it was time to help Angela into her dress.

The empire waist gown she had chosen before she was pregnant fit her perfectly now, and it accented the bump amazingly. It had a soft sweetheart neckline that was connected to a lace piece that covered her chest and wrapped around to the back. Alice was able to get her hair up in an elegant bun that sat low on her neck and made a perfect place for her veil to sit. Rose perfected her makeup, that made Angela look the most amazing I had ever seen her. Not to say my best friend wasn't absolutely stunning, but she looked more mature. She didn't normally wear makeup, so seeing her in it was the most amazing thing that I had seen in awhile.

Walking down the aisle ahead of everyone else, Ben's best man at my side, I noted how great all the guys looked in their charcoal grey tuxedos with black lapels. They wore white shirts underneath and black bowties and white pocket squares. They all looked very handsome when we had all gathered and paired off to walk down the aisle. I smiled at friends from high school that Angela had invited and beamed at Mrs. Webber when I saw her standing at the very first pew. When I finally took my place near the altar, I looked out and immediately saw Jasper, Emmett, and Edward. The men looked incredibly handsome in their suits, and Jasper's shaggy sandy blonde hair looked much more tame than it usually did. Emmett's eyes were trained on Rosalie as she walked out right behind Alice, and he couldn't stop beaming at his fiance.

My eyes finally trained on Edward and I lost my breath for a split second. I had seen that man in a suit, and he always looked absolutely delectable. But there was something about the heather grey suit and his even lighter shade of grey tie that brought out the striking green of his eyes and the coppery tones of his hair. He had the perpetual slight tan that contrasted against the light shades of the grey. He looked like he belonged on the cover of GQ magazine, and he definitely belonged in our hotel bed, preferably with the suit still on him.

He caught me staring at him and he winked, making me blush for the remainder of the ceremony.

* * *

Like a true maid of honor, I cried when Angela and Ben recited their vows and when they finally said 'I do.' I tried to keep it together long enough to walk out of the chapel, but as soon as we were in the main area of the church, I jumped onto Angela, congratulating her and proclaiming her as Mrs. Cheney. We agreed to try to take pictures outside in a timely manner, since, even though it was March, it was still barely above fifty degrees outside and there were no sleeves to be seen on any of our dresses.

After thirty excruciating minutes, the photographer called it a day, and the wedding party all filed into a limo. Ben and Angela were having their reception in a fancy country club about twenty minutes away from the church, but the drinking began while we were still in the limo. I knew that night I was going to get decently drunk, but I didn't want to make a fool of myself at a wedding. Hopefuly Edward would help in keeping me under control. Plus, I had plans on getting Edward out of that suit when we got back to the hotel.

Apparently, drunk Bella knows no bounds, and I definitely seduced Edward enough to get him to take me to the ladies room and lock the door behind us after checking to make sure nobody was in there. Sex up against a counter was not the easiest in this dress, but Edward was able to get the skirt up around my waist while I bent over the counter. He didn't even bother with disrobing either of us any more, because he shoved his pants down just past his hips and pulled my panties aside. He pounded into me quick and hard, and he grunted dirty nothings into my ear as he gripped my hips. I came twice before he followed behind me. We left that bathroom with satisfied, mischievous smiles, and I could tell that our friends knew exactly what we had been up to.

 _Best wedding ever._

* * *

So, there was that. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought :) Next chapter there will be a bit more drama, maybe a tiny time jump as we deal with Jared again, because that asshole doesn't quit.

Oh! Also, Angela's dress, the bridesmaids dresses, the tuxes, and Edward's suit are posted on my profile.

Until next time lovelies!


	25. The One With Confused Emmett

Hello lovelies, sorry for the little bit of a longer wait on this one. I got stuck about halfway through the chapter, and words refused to come out onto the computer. But, I finally pushed past it, so here is the next chapter! It's a bit of a filler until more drama ensues in the next one. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

 **BELLA POV**

 _April 2016_

With the weather warming to around the mid- to high-sixties everyday, people came out of their houses more and did outdoor activities. Outdoor activities usually meant kids running amuck after school, and kids running amuck meant accidents. And accidents meant lots of people in and out of the hospital, keeping Edward there more often than not. He was rarely home, and when he was, he was usually sleeping after working a twenty-four hour plus shift. All of this mixed together meant I rarely got to see him during April.

The only day I really spent time with him was on Emmett's birthday around the middle of the month, since he specifically asked for that day off in order to celebrate with his only cousin. We had a great time that night, and it was the first time in a few weeks that we had sex, so I wasn't complaining. But I did complain a little when he had to leave at ten the next morning in order to get home and shower before his noon shift at the hospital.

Portland State was on spring break this week, so I could lay around the house the morning after our wild night of partying on a Wednesday. I was the first one awake, since I was pretty sure everybody else besides Edward got way more trashed than I did the night before. I didn't like getting shit-faced in public, since I could still get in trouble for drinking, even though most places didn't check ID. Alice had turned twenty-one at the end of March, making me the only underage one in the group, which sucked to say the least.

I started up Grey's Anatomy on Netflix while I started the coffee maker and searched the kitchen for food. I eventually gave up and just decided to make myself some toast and made a mental note to go shopping later.

Spring break made us all lazy, but I didn't have that big of a luxury, since I had a project due for my biology class the Wednesday after we got back. Luckily, it was a project only to be done in pairs, and I had partnered up with Eric Yorkie, who was just as dedicated to our education as I was. We had hammered out most of the PowerPoint for our presentation by the Friday after it was assigned, and we had been working on fine tuning it individually and sending it to one another to get it approved. We had agreed to meet on Friday afternoon and the Tuesday before the presentation to really set everything in stone and practice presenting.

Just as I had settled in on the couch under a light blanket and with my toast and coffee, Alice emerged from her room, her dark hair a mess, and a bit of last night's mascara under her eyes. She curled up beside me on the couch, her head resting on my shoulder, and didn't say a word until the current episode ended.

"Is there more coffee?" she inquired, yawning at the end of her statement. For being a morning person, she sure seemed a little sluggish that morning.

I confirmed and she padded off to pour herself a cup, asking me if I wanted another. I thanked her as she took my mug. We must have finished off that pot, because I heard her refilling the coffee grounds and adding more water to the reservoir.

When she joined me on the couch again, she cleared her throat before speaking.

"So, have you thought about what you're going to do with the whole 'Jared' situation?"

I sighed, setting my mug on the side table. I had told Alice and Rose the whole thing a few days after it had happened, and they had both wanted to drive to Seattle and beat the crap out of him. I appreciated their tenaciousness, but if anyone was getting a go at Jared, it was me. But I couldn't assault someone, so that was never going to happen.

"I have no idea. I could tell Carlisle that he's harassing and threatening me, but that would mean telling him and pretty much everybody else about what I do." I had seriously contemplated just telling the whole world that I was a stripper, but I wasn't sure I was ready for that yet. I knew no one would think any lesser of me, although, my dad would probably blanche a little at the thought of his only child dancing nearly naked for men for money. He was the chief of police, after all

"Maybe it's just time that you tell people," Alice shrugged, taking a small sip of her coffee. "It's been, like, three years, Bella. You can't keep it a secret forever."

When I didn't respond, she continued.

"Besides, Jared is planning to out you anyways. It's more scandalous if he does it. At least this way you're taking away that power from him. Beating him to the punch."

I was going to respond, but Emmett emerged at that moment, calling out a good morning as he went into the kitchen.

"And you can start with Emmett," Alice beamed, the caffeine apparently starting to course through her bloodstream.

"What are we starting with Emmett?" he asked, plopping himself into the armchair across from the couch where Alice and I were sitting.

"Bella would like to run something past you."

His eyebrows furrowed. "If it doesn't have to do with cars, engineering, or sex, I'm not gonna be much help."

Alice and I made gagging sounds at the prospect of hearing about Em's sex life with Rosalie, which he laughed at, sending us a wink.

"Okay, not "run something by you", per se, but just kind of tell you something," Alice amended.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Em asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, God, no," I denied, shaking my head.

He nodded, satisfied. "Good, you're too young for a baby. I wanna see you become a doctor, Bells. And I would have killed Eddie."

I rolled my eyes. "Thank you, oh valiant Emmett."  
He gave me a cheeky grin. "Alright, lay it on me, Sweet Cheeks."

I decided to just lay it all out there, since that's how my relationship with Emmett had always been. It had worked out for us thus far.

"I don't work at a restaurant, Em. I work at the club with Rose."

He just nodded. "Do you bartend, then?"

Alice barked out a laugh before muffling it with her hand.

"No, I strip. I'm a dancer."

Emmett's jaw dropped open as he stared at me. Rose chose that time to walk in, looking much too pretty to have just woken up. She furrowed her eyebrows at her fiance, unaware of the bomb I had just dropped on him.

"Baby, you're catching flies," she told him, tapping his chin as she walked by to join Alice and I on the couch.

"What the fuck, Rosie?" he shouted once he had snapped out of his stupor. I saw Rose's eyes flame at his harsh tone. She was never one to take Em's crap, which is why they got along so well. I cut in before they could start arguing for no reason.

"I told him I dance at the club," I informed her. When she asked why I was telling him now, Alice and I both just said, "Jared," and she nodded her head in understanding.

Em seemed to be getting frustrated, though, and started shouting more. "What the fuck? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Why are we yelling?" Jasper questioned, squinting against the sun streaming through the open windows, his hands combing through his shaggy hair.

"Because Bells has been working at the club with Rose, and I'm just now finding out about this!" Emmett shouted, drawing a glare from Jasper.

"Bro, you don't have to yell. We're all here," he soothed.

"Why are you not freaking out about this? Little Baby B is a stripper!" Emmett could not seem to wrap his head around this, which would have been hilarious if he wasn't pissing us all off with his yelling.

Jasper shrugged. "I mean, I kinda figured it out. No waitress is able to pay for rent, utilities, and student loans with tips. Plus, she was always gone the nights Rose was. I put two and two together like two years ago."

Emmett sat dumbfounded for several minutes, while the four of us stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Finally he spoke, his tone much quieter.

"Does Ed know about this?"

When the three of us on the couch nodded, he bellowed, "I'm literally the last one to find out!"

Now, we could all laugh.

* * *

We filled Jasper and Em in on the Jared situation over lunch that day. Both men threatened to go hunt the bastard down and take care of him themselves, and questioned why Edward hadn't already done so. I didn't think I'd have to explain to them why he totally _could not_ do that, seeing as he was a doctor and what not. They agreed, and I assured them that I was trying to figure out a way to deal with it on my own. I mentioned that I only told Emmett because I had plans to tell everyone else so that I could get some help from Carlisle, and Em seemed genuinely hurt from all the time I had kept this from him. I tried to explain that I couldn't risk anything with my future career, but I never kept it from him because I didn't trust him. The less people that knew, the better, but my current situation necessitated that I tell people. I'd obviously have to quit after this, but I was okay with that now.

I was definitely nervous about telling my parents and Edward's parents about how I paid for rent and school. I knew my mom and Esme would probably accept it, because that's the type of open, free-spirited people that they are, but Carlisle might be a little shocked, given how long he had known me. But I knew he'd do anything to help me, so I was hoping his protective instincts would win out over his feelings toward me being an exotic dancer. And my dad, well...let's just say he was not going to be happy. He was the police chief, after all, and he arrested a lot of dancers who also had to work as escorts or prostitutes, which I knew he didn't approve of at all. I knew it would probably be inadvertent, but he would probably correlate my choices with the women he had encountered before, which was sad, honestly. Those girls were just trying to get their way through life, most likely just trying to pay bills and feed kids, but their way of making money was illegal, and it was absolutely horrible. Hopefully that all could change.

When Edward got off of work that night, we agreed that he would stay here tonight so that we could talk. Jared had been texting me a lot lately, leaving gross messages and threatening me over and over again about ruining my career. I had to guess that he was banking on the fact that he thought there was no way that I would ever tell anyone about my job. So, hopefully, by going to my family and Edward's family about it all, I'd throw him off a little bit and catch him by surprise. And if things really went the way that I wanted them to, he'd be out of a job by the end of it.

I let Edward know, before he walked in the door, that I had told Emmett that I worked at Lucky Devil, and Jasper evidently already knew. He simply nodded before kissing me quickly and walked to sit in the living room with the rest of our friends. Emmett, being Emmett, gave him the third degree about knowing I was a dancer before he did. Edward then had to explain to him that that was how he and I had first met. Watching Em react to this news was hilarious, and I couldn't help but laugh at his dramatic astonishment. Further explaining the whole Bambi/Bella dynamic over the first few months seemed a little too much for him to handle after all the bombs today, so we moved on to more pressing topics.

Edward and I agreed that it would be good to sit both sets of parents down and tell them both at once, sort of like ripping off a band aid. It would be less time taken up having to explain things, and they'd be able to ask all the questions they had in one go. We'd also be able to explain the Jared situation to all the right ears, since Carlisle was his boss and Charlie was able to explain any legal proceedings that may be able to take place. I wasn't sure if nonviolent threats were illegal, but I knew it was a big no-no when the person you're threatening is your boss's son's girlfriend.

We called our parents that night to tell them we'd like to see them that weekend. We had suggested that we meet somewhere in the middle of all three of our cities, but they both insist that they were going to come to Portland, since they knew our schedules were so busy, even though their schedules were just as jam-packed. We all agreed that Saturday afternoon for lunch was a good time, and Edward offered his apartment so that we could cook for them instead of going out and dropping a bomb on them in public.

Friday passed in a blur, since my classes kept me occupied pretty much all day long. By seven that night I was absolutely exhausted, but I had promised Edward that I would spend the night at his place since he was off the next day. I had made sure to pack a bag before I left my place that night, so I headed straight to Edward's after school. I walked right into his home with the key he had given me a few months back.

"Hey, angel," Edward called when he heard the front door open. I could see him in the kitchen pouring two glasses of red wine. I set my bag down by the front door and strode over, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my body against his.

"Hi, handsome," I greeted, my voice muffled from my face being pressed into his shirt, which was very soft and smelled like fabric softener and Edward. After my long day, being surrounded by him was just the relaxation I needed.

"Tired?" he asked, turning around in my arms and wrapping his around my shoulders. I could feel the heat radiating off of him and his heart beating in his chest where it was pressed against mine. Being in his presence relaxed me considerably, but I was still in need of something more. I wanted to take that night to relax before I had to deal with the immense stress that was sure to take place tomorrow.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," I affirmed. I pressed my forehead to his chest and heaved out a sigh. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get a break until the summer came around.

"Stay right here, I'll be right back," Edward said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. I watched him as he left the kitchen and walked down the hallway. I took the few moments that he was gone to take a few sips of the wine that he had poured when I walked in. Edward walked back and took my hand in one of his, and he scooped up his own glass in his free one. He led us to his bedroom and then into the attached en suite, where the water was running in the tub. I could see bubbles were rising as the water level rose.

Edward took my glass from my hands and set both of ours on the counter. He took his time as he unzipped my sweater and slipped it off my shoulder. He tugged my shirt over my head and hooked his thumbs into my yoga pants, pushing them down along with my panties. My bra was the last to come off before he helped me into the tub. He turned off the faucet before removing his own clothes and settling in behind me, our wine in hands. I couldn't help but gawk at his fuck hot body, which I swore that I would never get used to. His abs were so toned, his biceps so bulging, and his pecs so hard. How could a girl ever get over that?

We sat for a while just drinking our wine, his left arm wrapped around my waist, his hand gently stroking my skin. The smell of the lavender in the bubbles and the smell that was innately _Edward_ mixed together to create the most heady scent. I couldn't help but sigh and lean my head back onto his shoulder once I had finished my glass. Edward knew exactly what I needed after my long week, and I couldn't be more grateful to have him around to treat me like this. I had always gotten along just fine on my own, and I never really _needed_ a guy around to take care of me. But having Edward just felt like an extension of myself-someone who knew that I was capable and willing, but also knew that I appreciated this love and care. He never smothered me, and somehow he knew just how much affection I needed and when I needed it. I had never met a man that I was so in sync with; it was lovely.

We stayed in the tub well after our glasses were empty. Our skin got nice and pruney, the bubbles popped and disappeared, and the water got lukewarm. Edward stepped out first behind me and grabbed some towels from the cabinet. He wrapped one around his own waist before unfolding one and holding it out for me to step into. The air in the bathroom was still warm and moist from the steam when he had first drawn the bath. Stepping into his room sent a bit of a chill through me, the air much cooler than that of the en suite. He pulled back the covers on his bed and helped me into it, taking my towel from me. He discarded both of our towels and snuggled into the bed next to me, his warm naked body wrapping around mine. His arm draped over my waist and his leg tangled between both of mine. The lamp on his bedside table was still on, casting the room in faint yellow glow, allowing us to see each other.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I sighed at his question, because I honestly didn't know. "I feel more relaxed, so thank you for the bath," I told him, pressing some kisses to his chest lightly. "But I'm freaking out about tomorrow. Just a little bit."

Edward pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "You'll be okay, angel. I'll be right there with you the whole time."

"I know, but how is that gonna make you look?" I wondered aloud. I knew our parents knew we loved each other, but they didn't know that Edward fell for a girl who spends her spare time as a stripper. Would their image of us and our relationship be distorted when they found out my chosen profession before I achieved what I really wanted to do in life? I could imagine Esme and Renee wouldn't really pay it much mind, because I knew how their personalities were, but what about Carlisle? I knew he was pretty cool, but I wasn't quite sure if he was _that_ cool. And don't even get me started with Charlie.

 _Jesus Christ, I'm gonna break my old man's heart, probably._

What man wants to find out that his only daughter-his only _child_ -was a sex worker? Especially a man who had been a cop since before I was even a thought. If anyone else from Forks ever found out that I had spent the last nearly three years as an exotic dancer named Bambi at Lucky Devil Lounge strip club, Charlie's rep as the Chief of Police would be completely tarnished. I was supposed to be the chief's model citizen of a daughter. Model citizens, according to most of society-especially the society of Forks-did not become sex workers, even as a last ditch effort. And my decision to become a dancer had not been a last ditch effort, by any means. It was actually my first choice when I moved to Portland.

"Angel, please stop thinking so hard. I can practically see the gears grinding in your head," Edward teased, lightly brushing my hair back from my face. "You're just going to freak yourself out about this more if you keep thinking about it. Let's get to bed now, maybe have a little fun to get your minds off things, and then you'll be ready for tomorrow."

His sexy little smirk adorned his face when he mentioned "having a little fun" and I couldn't help but return with a smirk of my own. Edward was insatiable. He very typically had sex on the brain, which I think was pretty common for most men, and luckily, I was just as bad. Ever since the first time with Edward, it was like my boy constantly craved him, no matter where we were or what we were doing or who we were with, I wanted to have him. Especially now since it had been a while since the last time that we had been together, my body instantly ignited with the mention of any type of sexual activity.

It took Edward less than five seconds to have himself hovering over me, pressing kisses across my cheeks and down my neck. It took him only another fifteen before he gave me a wink and disappeared under the blankets, kissing down my stomach as he went. His tongue flicking across my clit surprised me and made me twitch with the sudden contact to the sensitive part of me. His tongue lapped, his lips tugged, and his teeth teased, causing the euphoria to build up inside me. I was very nearly over the edge when he cut off contact, and I whimpered at the loss of sensation. He chuckled at me and shushed me. I was unable to see what he was doing, but he asked me if I trusted him, and when I answered in the affirmative, his mouth was back on me. He used his arms to tilt my hips up, making my ass lose contact with the bed. I felt him palm my left cheek as his mouth still worked over me.

Next thing I knew, I felt a digit lightly stroking me lower down. My body tensed slightly as he played with the ring of muscle. I had never had anyone touch me there before, not even by my own doing, but I had definitely entertained the idea before. Edward had asked if I trusted him, and I did, so I willed my body to relax. I think he noticed when my body uncoiled, because I felt him press forward slightly, the tip of one of his fingers slipping inside of me. The sensation was not at all unpleasant, but it was definitely different. It took a few shallow strokes for me to become accustomed to the feeling, and when I did, the pleasure I was experiencing soared through the roof. The combination of his mouth and his finger in my back entrance built up fast, and I came hard, screaming out his name with my release.

He emerged as I was coming down from my sexual high, allowing me to catch my breath before speaking or asking me to speak. Once my heart rate had gone back to relatively normal, he smiled at me.

"Was that okay?" he asked, his voice soft. His eyes searched my face as he awaited my answer, and his hand came up as his fingers gently stroked the side of my face.

"Can we do that more often, please?" I asked. I was not ashamed to admit that that had felt like nothing I had ever experienced before, not that I had a whole lot of it outside of my time with Edward. But still, a girl knew when things did and did not feel good, and having his finger in my ass was definitely part of the former.

He laughed at my request, kissing my forehead to stifle his laughter into chuckles. "We can most definitely do that more often, Bella," he assured. "There are a few other things that I want to try, if you'll let me. Not tonight, but over the next several times we have a chance to be together."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "What are these 'things'?" I asked. I was definitely a sexually adventurous person, but there were a few things that I knew were already hard no's for me. "I can tell you right now, I'm not into swinging or threesomes, and I will never, under any circumstance, call you Daddy."

Edward laughed again, shaking his head. "I can promise you, angel, I don't share. And I don't want to hear it come out of your mouth when referring to me as much as you don't want to say it." My shoulders, which I hadn't realized were tense, relaxed at his assurance. "What I have in mind are some things I know you'll if you give them a chance, but we'll talk about it another time. I think it's time that we sleep."

He snuggled in next to me, resuming the position we were in before he had spontaneously decided to go down on me.

"You don't want me to return the favor?" I asked. Not that it was ever a "favor" thing with us, but I usually made a point to reciprocate. Honestly, I loved giving it just as much as he liked receiving it.

He shook his head and pulled me closer to him. He reached over and turned out the lamp before tucking my head under his chin. "No, it's okay, love. Tonight was about helping you relax. I accomplished my mission, and now I'm satisfied."

Even though I could feel his hard cock pressing into my hip, I knew that he meant what he had said. So, I just hummed my acceptance and closed my eyes, pressing my body into his more. I was so tired and relaxed from our night, that I fell asleep within a matter of minutes after cuddling into Edward, no thoughts of the stress I was bound to experience the next day plaguing my mind. I would deal with everything in the morning.

* * *

Alright, so I hoped you guys liked this chapter. I promise the next one will be more interesting. We'll finally get to the reveal to the parents, and then we'll get to see some action on the Jared front.

I can tell you that I know where this story is headed, and it is definitely winding down. I have a few more big events for Bella and Edward and the rest of the crew, so I'm foreseeing about ten-ish more chapters. Don't hold me to that, but that's what I'm estimating right now. We'll see though.

I will be writing an epilogue that will probably be much longer than a normal chapter, because I don't want to leave loose ends. But I will also take requests for any outtakes or future takes anyone would like to see. I like to write little scenarios that may not have otherwise made it into the story.

Anyway, leave me comments, I always read all of them and I appreciate hearing from you guys!

Until nest time, lovelies!


	26. The One With the Confession

Hey everybody, sorry for the long wait. I tried very hard to get this chapter done, but the world was against me. We have a kitten that decided to chew through my charger, so I had a dead computer for awhile. Then, I was in an area where I didn't have internet for about five days, and I write on Google Docs. And then when I got back, my cat chewed through my brand new charger, which means I had to wait for another one to come in. It finally came in today, so I was able to get the chapter done. But I am so sorry for the long wait, again. You'd think I'd be better at this with no school to worry about.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Bella finally spills the truth to her and Edward's parents. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

 **EDWARD POV**

Our parents had just called about five minutes ago to say that they were about half an hour out. Bella was busying herself with double checking to make sure that everything for lunch was ready and cooked just right. I had never seen her quite this stressed, but apparently when her stress wasn't school related, she cooked herself into a frenzy. I had to keep reminding her it was only going to be the six of us and it was lunch. She kept trying to prepare a six course meal, but I had reigned it into a salad, the lasagna she made as the main dish, and the apple pie that was being kept warm in the oven for dessert. Hopefully we actually got to the dessert before Bella had a mental break down.

At the moment, she was setting out all the food onto the table and kept going back around to all the place settings to make sure the utensils were all aligned, and I was so close to ripping my hair out, which I knew Bella would be very upset about. So instead of ripping it out, I laid my hands on the counter and took a deep breath.

"Bella, angel, can you just stop, for a second?" I asked. Her stressing out was making me stress out. I was already a doctor; I didn't need more stress than I already had. This woman was going to give me grey hairs before I was twenty-five.

When she still continued to lightly tap the forks to help make them perfectly vertical, I couldn't keep in the frustrated groan.

"Bella, stop it, babe," I urged. "You're gonna make both of us crazy with all of this."

She heaved a sigh, retracting her hands from the table. She gripped her hands in her hair, seemingly having picked up the habit from me.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really nervous," she whispered. Her voice was strained, and I could see her playing with her fingers as she looked at me.

I walked to her and gathered her small frame into my arms, pressing as much of her body as I could against mine. "Bella, it's going to be okay. Our parents love you. They will love you no matter what. Hell, our moms will probably go see you at the club tonight." She chuckled a little and I smiled at the sound. "That's how much they love you."

She sighed again. She had done that a lot today. "I just don't know how I'm going to tell them. Like, how do I start that conversation."

"You come right out with it, because you're Bella and that's how you do things," I said. "Besides, it's not that breaking to someone that they have a disease or that they're going to need surgery. There's no easy way to let someone know that you're a dancer at a club." I gave her another soft squeeze, trying to pass my reassurance into her body.

She sighed again. "I just wanna get this over with." She paused for a few moments, seeming to take deep breaths to psych herself up a little bit. "Thank you for being so supportive through all this. I honestly thought I'd read an article about authorities coming across Jared's body a long time ago." She chuckled a little, and although I joined her, I was cringing internally.

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to do every brutal thing I could think of to that disgusting mongrel. I had contemplated telling my dad the situation right away and having him tear apart Jared's career in a matter of minutes, but I knew Bella wanted to come clean on her own and handle this all by herself. I admired her strength and independence; it was one of the things I loved most about her. But I really wished she'd just let me get my hands on the guy. When she had first told me what had happened at the club between her and Jared, I nearly hopped in my car in the next instant and drove all the way to Seattle to get my hands on him. I wanted to kill him for threatening my girl like that, and I had thought of about ten different ways to make his death look like an accident and fifty different places to hide the body if I was too enraged to be careful about his murder in a matter of thirty seconds. But she had begged me to let her think about it and handle it on her own, since this was her future career on the stakes, and all. I had conceded, only because I could only imagine her rage when she found out what I had done to Jared. Plus, I knew she was a very capable woman and had been taking care of herself long before I came around. I knew she could take care of this problem by herself.

"You asked me not to get involved, so I didn't," I told her. I stroked my hand through her hair, since she had straightened it for the first time in a while. "I'll always respect your wishes, Bella. But, trust me, I've dreamt of killing the guy."

She chuckled against my chest. "Oh, I don't doubt it." She gave me a squeeze around my waist before backing up. "Thank you for calming me down. I'm overthinking everything. I just dance for people in my underwear. It's not like I'm a serial killer or a hitman or something." She rolled her eyes at herself, which I found kind of adorable. I'd always be amazed at how she could be so sweet and adorable, but hot as hell and the most alluring woman I had ever met in the same breath.

Bella untangled her arms from mine completely and started to walk down the hall, toward my bedroom.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I need to get dressed," she said over her shoulder. She smirked at me. "Did you really think I was going to walk around in your t-shirt and my underwear when our parents got here?"  
I shrugged one shoulder. "A guy can dream."

"Keep dreaming, bub."

* * *

There was a knock on the front door just as Bella emerged from my bedroom. She was securing her hair back into a ponytail as she walked toward the door, apparently intent on answering it. She was dressed in a pair of really tight, almost sinful jeans, making her ass look positively bitable as her hips swayed with her strides. She had an olive green button up on with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her breasts were straining against the buttons, begging to be set free. I had never seen that shirt on her before, and I was hoping it would start to make more frequent appearances since the weather was warming up a little bit. You could comfortably walk outside in a t-shirt and jeans during the day.

I heard her inhale deeply before swinging the door open, putting a smile on her face as she greeted our parents. They all took turns hugging Bella before making their way to the living room to greet me. My mom dropped a kiss on the top of my head, my dad patted his hand on my shoulder, Renee pressed a smacking kiss to my cheek, and the Chief shook my hand in a warm way. The men took a seat on the couch and armchair in my living room to watch the ball game while the women went to the kitchen with Bella. I heard her offer them glasses of wine, which I knew was more for her benefit.

"Lunch will be ready in about five minutes. I just have to toss the salad," Bella announced.

I kept in my chuckle at her unintentional sexual innuendo and tried to keep my mind on the baseball game. I know as an Oregon resident and being raised in Seattle, I should be a Mariner fan, but I was pretty impartial to the Angels. I don't know how my love for the team had come about, since there were only ever Mariner games being played in my house while I was growing up. Luckily, the Angels game was the only one playing right now, beside the Yankee game, so I wasn't criticized for my choice by my dad or Charlie.

Bella called us guys to the kitchen a few minutes later, luckily landing on a commercial break between innings. She had the lasagna and salad set out on the counter and plates were stacked next to the food. Everyone helped themselves as Bella poured wine for everyone except for Charlie, who refused to drink whenever he had to drive anywhere any time soon. For a beer, he usually gave himself about an hour before he would get behind the wheel, but with the higher alcohol content, I'm sure the wine had a longer wait time in Charlie's book.

I served Bella since she was busy and set her plate to the right of me. I sat at one head while Dad sat at the other. Mom was on his left, so Renee and Charlie were able to sit next to each other. Everyone thanked Bella for the meal before beginning to eat.

"Did you make these noodles yourself, dear?" my mom asked after taking a few bites.

Bella nodded, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, my grandma taught me how when I was younger. I refuse to buy store bought lasagna noodles now."

My mom smiled at her briefly before her dad picked up conversation.

"How's school going, Bells?"

"Pretty good, just hanging in there until finals week," she shrugged, stabbing at a few lettuce leaves. "Research has been pretty brutal, but my classes have been really smooth."

"What's wrong with the research, honey?" Renee asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Nothing, really. I like the subject matter, it's just long hours in the lab after my classes and my other biology lab. Sometimes I'm not out of there until after midnight."

"Good practice for your internship," Dad smiled. "What are you researching right now, Bella?"

"My mentor is the microbiology professor and we work alongside the mentees of the genetics professor, so we're focusing on how the genetic variation of a human fungal pathogen contributes to phenotypic diversity that impacts disease." I noticed how she had left out exactly which human fungus she was studying. Something about talking about yeast infection and thrush while eating didn't sound like a good idea, but I knew my dad was going to ask. The doctor in him was always switched on, even at the least appropriate times. There was a certain level of curiosity that he was never able to temper down.

"Oh, that sounds interesting. What pathogen is it?"

I called it.

I could see Bella's cheeks begin to tinge pink.

" _Candida albicans,_ " she said, coughing uncomfortably afterwards.

"Ah, not dinner talk," my dad said, nodding. "I'll ask more about it afterwards."

"What is that, dear?" Renee asked, either ignoring or not catching on to the avoidance of the subject while we were all eating.

 _This ought to be interesting._

Bella's face darkened even more, and her shoulders began to rise toward her ears, trying to hide herself as much as possible. She'd have to get over the discomfort of talking about the human body if she wanted to be a doctor.

"Um, it's the fungus that causes infections to the mucous membranes of the body," she explained, trying to avoid going into detail, but even I knew her mother better than that. She was going to press for answers until she got the whole story.

When Renee persisted at Bella with a raised eyebrow and an expectant look on her face, she sighed and set her fork down, resigning to giving her mother a lesson on her research project.

"The fungus can infect the skin, but typically more wet, warm areas, such as the mouth. When that happens, we call it oral thrush. But most people know it for causing vaginal yeast infections."

"You just had to ask while I was eating," Charlie grumbled, and I couldn't help but laugh along with my dad.

Renee chuckled at her husband as well before turning back to her daughter. "Perhaps after lunch would have been better, on second thought."

Bella waited until she had cleared away the dishes from lunch and brought out the still warm apple pie for dessert before she started to broach the subject of why our parents were actually here. Well, my mom started asking first, but Bella was a little more forthcoming with details than I had expected her to be, considering her panicking that morning.

"Not that I don't love to see you two, but why exactly did you ask all four of us to come visit you?" she asked as Bella passed her a plate with pie and ice cream on it.

"We can't just want to see our parents?" I asked, smirking at my mother.

"Oh, don't play that," she tsked, tossing a balled up napkin at me. "I just figured you'd want to spend one of the few days you have off at the same time with each other, not with your parents."

I shrugged, deciding she was right. My mother wasn't stupid and she knew when something was up. She always had, which made my childhood and teen years quite frustrating. I couldn't get away with anything, and she'd just chuckle when she found Emmett and me getting into some sort of trouble before grounding us for a few days.

Bella heaved a huge sigh, and I could see her physically preparing herself to tell our parents her big secret, which actually wasn't that big of a deal. Out of all of them, I thought Charlie would have the hardest time with the revelation, and even then I knew he would never turn against Bella. His love for his daughter was unconditional, as it should be.

"I actually did want to get you all together so I could tell you something," she admitted, pushing her plate of half eaten pie and slowly melting ice cream away from her. "We figured it would be better just to get it out to all of you all at once."

I saw Charlie's face blanch and turn a concerning shade of white. I could see the sweat beads on his forehead, and I knew he had come to his own conclusion.

"Oh, dear God, please don't tell me that you're pregnant, Isabella," he gasped, having a difficult time getting the words out.

Bella's eyes widened and she gasped. She put her hands out in front of her in an apology. "Oh, no, Dad! Jesus, no, I'm not pregnant. Holy shit."

"Way to jump to conclusions, Charlie," Renee muttered, intentionally loud enough for the whole table to hear her. My parents laughed and I let out a small chuckle. Renee's joke gave Bella enough time to gather herself and provided a comic relief after Charlie's near-heart attack.

I could see the gears turning in Bella's head, thinking hard about the best way to tell everyone that she danced at a strip club. There was a split second where she went from contemplative to assured, and I knew she was going to proceed in true Bella fashion.

Blurting it out with no filter.

It's how I'd learned about many of the things she found attractive about me before we were in a secure, committed relationship.

"I'm a stripper named Bambi at a club on the other side of the Willamette called Lucky Devil Lounge."

The entire room fell silent. Everyone seemed to be in some state of shock. I placed my hand on Bella's thigh, offering her strength and support while she waited with bated breath for our parents' reactions to her confession. She placed her own hand over mine and gave me a long, hard squeeze, conveying her nerves and anxiety.

I cleared my throat when the silence prolonged past thirty seconds to see if I could knock anyone out of their stupor. My mom seemed to come around first, shortly followed by Bella's mom, then my dad. Charlie still seemed a little out of it when everyone else started speaking.

"How long have you worked there, dear?" my mother asked, her voice as nonchalant as ever. I could always count on her to be the least judgemental of a situation.

"About two and a half years." Bella seemed a bit more relaxed now that someone was actually speaking.

"So why are you telling us this now?" Renee asked. "Not that I approve of you lying to us, but it's been so long. Why not keep it to yourself until you got another job? None of us would have ever known."

Bella took a deep breath, getting ready to reveal the real reason she had finally come clean about her current profession. She bit on her lower lip, worrying it to the point that I thought she was going to draw blood. Right before I reached to pull her lip out from between her teeth, she released it.

"I've actually encountered a problem that I need Carlisle's help on, and it's concerning a man that came into the club," she started hesitantly, and much too vaguely.

My dad arched one eyebrow. "How do you figure I can help?"

Bella started worrying her lip again, so I decided to just lay it out there for her. She'd dance around it all day if we'd let her.

"Jared, one of your mentees, came into the club and recognized Bella," I started, squeezing Bella's thigh softly when she flashed me a thankful look. She had wanted to do this on her own, but I knew when my girl needed help, and I was more than happy to assist her. I wanted this all sorted out just as much as she did. "He's blackmailing her by threatening to tell all future employers that she's a stripper and a prostitute unless she agrees to sleep with him." I could feel my face morph into a sneer as I finished the sentence. I didn't even want to imagine his disgusting hands on Bella's perfect skin.

"HE WHAT?" Charlie bellowed, speaking for the first time since Bella dropped her bomb. "I swear to God, I'll kill that boy." Suddenly he turned to me, eyes blazing. "Why haven't you killed that boy?"

I felt like my eyebrows shot up my forehead. Jesus, he couldn't be serious. "I didn't exactly feel like going to prison, Chief."

"I would have helped you hide the body and clear out evidence, son," he huffed. I laughed at his offer, but I felt a little touched that he had called me 'son' for the first time.

"Bella begged me not to harm him," I told Charlie. "Believe me, I wanted to hurt him."

"Well, this is certainly problematic," my dad said, speaking up for the first time. "While what Jared is doing is a testament to his character and makes me question his ethics and his work as a doctor, I'm not entirely sure that it's technically illegal. I'll have to contact my lawyer and ask him. I know his threat can be considered extortion, but since he's not demanding money or personal property, I'm not sure if it can be legally justified to the board of the hospital as such."

"So what does that mean if it is illegal?" Bella asked.

Carlisle sighed and placed his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers together. It was his tell for when he was going to deliver some not so stellar news. I felt my hand involuntarily tighten on Bella's leg again.

"Well, there is a possibility that proof of the extortion, either from the original incident or any subsequent encounters with credible information, can be presented to the board as evidence of Jared's inability to fulfill his ethical duties as a practitioner and call into question his willfulness to abide to his pledge to the Hippocratic Oath. This can result in him being fired from the hospital, but there's no guarantee that he'd keep his mouth shut to any other people of influence he may know in the medical world."

"But he wouldn't really have any credibility after being fired," Renee said, her statement almost sounding like a question. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern, and I had never seen her look more like Bella than she did in that instant.

"This is true, but I'm sure there would be some people that would be just as grimy as to believe him," Dad rebutted. "But, if we had evidence that Jared was conducting himself just as unethically inside the hospital as he was outside of it, that would be means to revoke his license, which would ostracize him from basically the entire network of doctors-the important ones, at least."

"Someone sleazy enough to blackmail a woman surely is sleazy enough to have a few potential malpractice or negligence cases stacked against them," Charlie gruffed.

"My thoughts exactly," Dad nodded. "I've been suspicious of him before in the past; I can only imagine how much damage he's done."

"So none of this has to be done through a court?" Renee asked.

"Not necessarily, no. Hospital business can be kept out of the courts aside from the hospital lawyer and any lawyer the accused may hire. Legal documentation is kept, but it's not really a court case. But if no formal charges are pressed, then the information presented is for board knowledge only. It's the board's decision to fire someone or revoke their license, not the court's. Bella's reputation would be kept safe."

"I can get camera footage and audio files from the room we were in at the club," Bella offered. "The owner hates creeps just as much as the dancers do."

"I'll call my lawyer and see what can be done, Bella," Dad said, his tone softening. "I'm not going to let a temporary job disqualify you from the career you want to have for the rest of your life. I know you're going to do great things, and who would I be to take away excellent care from a future patient?"

Bella smiled at my dad, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Carlisle." She sniffed and wiped tears before they could fall down her face. She glanced toward the clock in the kitchen and sighed. It was nearly three o'clock, and she started her shift at the club at six. She only had a few hours to get ready and get over there, and I could tell that she wanted to talk more.

"There's a lot I want to talk about, and I know I owe it to you all to answer your questions, but I have to get ready for work in a bit," she said, giving our parents an apologetic look. "I have about a half hour, if you want to talk about anything."

"Have you ever been a waitress, or have you always been a dancer?" Renee asked.

"I've never worked at a restaurant," Bella said. "This is my first job beside the times I worked at Newton's over the summer in high school."

"How do you do it?" Esme asked. "You're not exactly graceful, dear."

Bella couldn't help but chuckle. "No, I'm not. Dancing helps though. Six plus inch heels aren't exactly easy to walk in, so you have to learn pretty quickly. I walk better on Pleasers than I do on flat ground."

Charlie cleared his throat, and I could tell he was uncomfortable about what he was trying to ask. "Do you just dance, or do you...do anything...else?"

Bella's brow furrowed. "Um, I pole dance and I serve drinks every once in awhile."

"I don't think that's what your father means, angel," I told her. I figured I'd save the Chief the trouble of asking his daughter if she was a prostitute or escort. "He's asking if you...work in any other area of the sex industry."

Her eyes widened, and she hurried to abate her father's fears. "Oh, Jesus, dad, no. I don't do anything besides dance for money. We're not even a fully nude club, and I make a point to keep my top on." I knew there was an added 'most of the time' in there mentally, since I had seen Bella walk around and dance topless on an occasion or two, but Charlie certainly didn't need to know that.

I could see the tension release from her dad's body and he huffed out an apparently held breath. His mustache twitched and he reached to scratch it as he mumbled, "I just had to ask."

"What time are you working tonight, honey?" Renee asked. I saw a glint in her eye that probably meant trouble for Bella, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was.

"Six to one or two, depending on how busy we are," she answered easily, apparently not seeing the same thing I was seeing.

"Well, I hope you have a good night, Bells."

Bella stood up and hugged our parents. "I will, thanks, Mom," she said before saying her goodbyes and heading into my bedroom. She was probably going to take a shower, apply her makeup, and do her hair before heading to the club.

When the door to my bedroom was shut, Charlie turned to me, and in a gruff, no nonsense voice, said, "Son, we need to have a talk."

Oh, how I wished Bella was back in the room. I don't know if I could handle her father by myself. I had a feeling he always carried his gun on him, and I didn't feel like going to the hospital to treat a GSW.

I tried to hide the concern on my face and in my voice when I said, "Of course, sir."

* * *

So, there's the whole truth laid out. I have no knowledge of any type of legal proceedings and hospital policy on those type of things, so I'm sorry if my information is inaccurate. Also, I did not come up with the research project Bella is doing, so here is the link to the actual place I got it from.

.

There will be a bit of a time jump again next chapter, since it's kind of time consuming to build a case against someone. We'll have a bit more fun next chapter.

Let me know what you guys thought about the chapter, and any suggestions for future chapters.

I am also taking requests for any outtakes or future shots, so you can drop those in the comments if you have any.

Until next time, lovelies!


	27. The One With the Request

Hello everyone! Sorry I was away for a little longer than intended. Our house is being remodeled, and I get sucked into it somehow. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's a little bit of a filler, but it's kind of a transition to what's coming next. So, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

 **BELLA POV**

 _May 2016_

Edward paced as he talked on the phone with his dad, presumably about the situation with Jared, given the way he kept pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes and raking his fingers through his hair. I was trying to ignore him since I was supposed to be working on my final presentation for my biology lab that was due at the end of the week, but even when he was stressed, the way he tugged at his hair and the flex of his jaw muscle was the most attractive thing. I wanted to lick his jaw and have my own fingers in his hair, pulling and hearing him growl at me in that sexy way that he had.

We had both been extremely stressed lately-him with the hospital, me with school, and both of us with the Jared situation. Jared, unaware of how closely Carlisle was watching him, kept leaving me threatening voicemails and text messages, that I promptly recorded or copied and sent to Carlisle, which he then kept in a file on his computer. I was able to also obtain the video and audio files from the club after I explained the situation to my boss. He was infuriated, naturally, and gave me copies of the files without a second thought. I delivered them to Carlisle the next day, and he added them to the growing evidence against Jared. Hopefully all of it would be enough to see him face some sort of repercussions.

Along with the stress Edward and I were experiencing came the need to get rid of it, at least temporarily. We both had a silent agreement that sex happened to be our form of de-stressing, which meant lots of quickies in the hospital when I stopped off for lunch between classes, lots of quiet escapades in the library when he came to pick me up from studying after class when I had ridden to school with Alice, and lots of spur of the moment oral when I was making dinner or he was skimming through medical journals for a case at work. It had definitely been working to help us calm down and relax after stressful days, but I was missing the times when we could spend more than twenty minutes on one another. But after long days of work and school and collecting evidence, we were beat by the time we stripped down for bed. I usually fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow, so there was no room for more than what we squeezed in during our days.

I was hoping everything would find a balance again after school finished in a few weeks. I'd be done with the school year in a matter of three weeks, and I was looking forward to the much needed break. I'd still have to go in for my research a couple times a week, but for the most part I'd be responsibility free. For right now, though, my schedule was the busiest it ever had been, between classes, studying, research, working, and trying to have some semblance of a social life. I swear, I was going to just fall over dead one of these days.

Edward hung up the phone with a heavy sigh, giving another thorough pass through on his hair. He walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, massaging softly. He dropped a kiss on my head before saying, "That was my dad. He said that Jenks thinks we might have a decent case against him for extortion, since he's threatening your future livelihood and he's said he'd tell people that you're a prostitute, which is slander. But it's possible that it wouldn't be enough to get his license revoked."

I felt my body stiffen at that prospect. Edward was quick to sooth the muscles with his fingers.

"But he also thinks that it's very likely someone else will come forward with malpractice lawsuits," he tried to assuage. "Apparently, he's seen evidence of possible lawsuits against Jared in all his digging, but none of them have actually been presented to court yet."

"So what does that mean?" I asked. I was studying to be a surgeon, not a lawyer. I'd have to ask Rosalie about all this the next time I saw her, which would be tonight at the club. Maybe I could talk to her about it while we were getting ready and in between dances.

"It means that a malpractice suit would trump your extortion claim tenfold," Edward said. "If he was found guilty of malpractice, he'd get his license taken away and most likely prison time, and your evidence against him would never have to come up." He heaved a heavy sigh, much like they were all the time lately. "But, that's very wishful thinking and the best case scenario. We just need to hope that someone else follows through with those malpractice claims."

It was my turn to sigh now as I closed my laptop, calling it a day on my presentation. It was done, anyway, I was just making last minute adjustments and ensuring I knew what I was going to say when it was my turn to present. I ran my fingers through my hair, a habit I had inexplicably picked up from spending so much time with Edward. Our habits had started rubbing off on each other a long time ago. I caught him biting his bottom lip when he concentrated, and I found myself clenching my teeth in frustration more often than not.

"Everything is gonna work itself out, angel, you'll see," he assured, pressing kisses to my shoulders. "I want you to not think about any of that this weekend. I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself at Angela's baby shower and I want you to savor your second to last week at the club. We can worry about all this legal stuff later."

He was right. I should be celebrating and relishing right now, not stressing over anything but finals. Angie was having her baby shower this Saturday, and I was very excited to see her for probably the last time before she delivered. She was due the last Sunday of May, so she was cutting it pretty close with a baby shower only two weeks prior. We were all anxiously waiting Benjamin's entrance into this world. And I had finally decided it was time to leave the club in search of a more normal job, and the last week of school seemed like the perfect time, so I'd at least have a few weeks to find a new place to work. I really was going to miss dancing and all the money that I brought in, but this thing with Jared really stood as testament to how sour things could go when I was working as a stripper. I'd definitely miss all the girls though, and the extra time I got to spend with Rose outside of the house.

"I know, baby, I'll try and relax this weekend," I said, placing my hands over his that were still resting on my shoulders. "I'm excited for Ang's baby shower and to see some old friends I haven't seen in awhile. It'll be good to be back in Forks for a little bit. I miss my parents' home. And I'm sure Ali and Rose will enjoy seeing the tiny town again. Alice has a weird obsession with how small Forks is."

Edward chuckled, his breaths hitting my ear, causing goosebumps to breakout along the back of my neck and shoulders. I was incredibly horny all of a sudden, and I wanted to drag Edward to his bedroom right that second and have my way with him, but I knew I had to leave to head back to my apartment soon. I hadn't brought anything for work since I had a pretty full day of classes and I hadn't spent the night the evening before. I wouldn't be spending the night tonight either, since Alice had demanded that we needed a girls day tomorrow, since none of us had classes and it had been awhile since we all had just enjoyed each other's company. We had all be busy lately, and even though we lived together, we never seemed to be in the apartment at the same time. I was definitely missing spending quality time with my girls. So tomorrow was dedicated to us; no boyfriends allowed as we spent all day talking and doing God knows what.

"I'm sure she'll have a good time this weekend, then," he said. "You should take a lesson out of her book and enjoy this time before shit probably starts hitting the fan." I stood up out of my chair and pressed my body to his, relaxing a little when I felt his warmth wash over me. I would never tire of being connected to him. Just having him hug me was the most soothing thing in the world, not to mention his scent. I was definitely of guilty of putting on one of Edward's shirts when I was upset and he wasn't around. He'd been pretty busy lately, so I had to resort to lightly worn t-shirts I stole from his room.

"I'll try, but I'll miss you a lot," I pouted. I hadn't spent a whole lot of time very far away from him. Even if we were busy, we were always within a few miles of each other. Now I'd be a whole state away.

Edward stroked his hands through my hair before taking my face in his hands, tilting it up so I could look at him. "It's only for a few days, beautiful." My heart still fluttered when he called me that. "I'm sure you're probably sick of me by now. We've hardly been away from each other since Christmas." He smirked at me, trying to lighten the mood.

"I could never get sick of you, Edward Cullen," I scolded. How could he ever think such a thing? "I love all the time we've spent together. I know we practically live together, but I can never get enough of you. Spending these few nights alone in my own bed have been pretty rough." That was an understatement. I had hardly been able to sleep last night without his body next to mine. My queen size bed had been far too empty and cold, even in this warm weather.

"Move in with me, then."

I felt my eyes widen at his blunt statement.

 _Is he serious?_

"What?" I asked, like the dummy I was. I couldn't get more than one word out of my mouth in my shock.

He smiled at me, one of his much-too-gorgeous, jump-his-bones-in-ten-seconds smiles. It was sexy and much too innocent all at the same time, and I hated him for the confusion it created in me every time he flashed it at me. I was always so torn about whether to gush over how adorable he was or to start tearing his clothes off where he stood.

"I said, move in with me, Bella," he repeated, the smile not moving from his face. His thumbs softly stroked my cheeks. "Like you said, you practically live here anyway, and you already have a key. Just make it official and move in." His green eyes sparkled as he peered into mine, begging me every so subtly with them. He had to know there was no way I'd ever turn down any requests of his.

I beamed back at him, hoping my smile reflected his.

* * *

 **EDWARD POV**

My phone rang in my coat pocket. I knew it was going to be Bella, and luckily I was in between patients right now, so I had time to answer.

"Hello, love," I answered, wedging my phone between my shoulder and my ear as I finished filling out a patient's charts. Becoming a doctor had definitely heightened my multitasking skills.

"Hi, baby," Bella answered back, and I could sense the smile in her voice already, which was a relief. She had been pretty upset and stressed for quite a while now, and rightly so.

 _Fucking Jared. I could strangle him if the opportunity arose._

"I was just calling to let you know we got to Angela's," she said. I heard girls squealing and laughing in the background. I assumed Angela, Ali, and Rose were greeting each other happily.

"Good, I'm glad you made it safely," I said, scribbling some mindless information onto the chart. My patient was a usual in the ER, so I was told. He just came in with fake complaints in order to get some drugs, so I wasn't paying too close a mind to his chart. The guy needed help, but he was always reluctant to listen. "Go, angel, I don't want to keep you from your girls. I can hear them in the background. Remember what we talked about."

She sighed softly, but it was less meaningful than it had been recently. I knew just being around friends was already lightening her mood. "I know, Edward. I'm going to make the most of this weekend. I just miss you."

I smiled sadly. "I miss you too, babe. But you need some girl time. You get to have me all summer," I promised. I put a quick signature on the chart before handing it to a nurse. "One more week."

"Thank God," she said with a little laugh, which made me feel better. "School has been brutal."

"You don't know the definition of brutal until you've been to med school," I chuckled. "Most grueling four years of your life."

"At least I get a job at the end of it. As of right now, I only have more school to look forward to," she laughed. "Alright, I better get going. Rose is luring me in with promises of margaritas."

I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. "You guys are drinking at a baby shower? Isn't that kinda weird?"

"Just because the guest of honor is pregnant doesn't mean the rest of us don't get to drink." I laughed at that. "Besides, it makes set-up a hell of a lot more fun."

I couldn't help but smiling. "Alright, beautiful, go get a little drunk and throw a kickass baby shower for Angela. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, hon, I'll call you tonight."

"I look forward to it. Bye, Bella."

There was no doubt I was getting a drunk call from Bella tonight, and a drunk Bella was a horny Bella, so I could only imagine how that was going to go. Hopefully she wouldn't be too crass with all her friends around, but it Rose and Alice were going to be just as drunk as she was, I had a feeling they were just going to spur her on. I definitely did not mind dirty phone calls and text messages from my girl, but I wasn't too keen on anyone else hearing her dirty words. Those were for my ears only.

I shook my head with a chuckle as I pocketed my phone again. Seth stepped out of a room and raised an eyebrow at me. He joined me at the nurse's station, a chart in his own hands.

"What's so funny?" he wondered. "Somehow I feel Bella is involved."

"She's throwing a baby shower for her friend today, and apparently the non-pregnant ones drink to make the set-up more interesting."

"Ah, drunk texts from the girlfriends are always a blast," Seth snickered. "How are things going with Bella? I can tell you've been more stressed recently. You guys aren't fighting or anything, right?"

I had to smile at his concern for our relationship. He had kept tabs on her ever since she stumbled into our ER in December, and if he didn't have a girlfriend, I'd be a little concerned as to his interest in her. Seth and I had become good friends over the last two years since my internship started, so I knew he asked out of concern for me, as well.

"We're fine, we're just dealing with a lot," I shrugged.

"Care to elaborate, Cullen?"

I sighed, which I had been doing a lot of lately, too. "There's just a situation she's dealing with right now. A doctor that works with my dad has been harassing her, so her stress is my stress. Her finals and my crazy schedule aren't really helping anything, either."

Seth looked puzzled. "Who would harass Bella? I can't believe she'd ever do anything to warrant being harassed."

The stress from the last several weeks started encroaching upon me again. I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. Then my fingers went straight to my hair. And then I felt my jaw clench painfully tight. Great, all my stress habits combined in about three seconds.

"He's just being a jealous bastard," I sighed. "He wanted Bella, she said no. He was one of those kids that never got told no, so he's lashing out."

"And you haven't gone up to Seattle to kick his ass yet?" He gave a low whistle. "That's some restraint, Ed."

I felt my jaw tighten again. "Oh, I've been close to hopping in the car, but she's begged me not to do anything that I'd get in trouble for. Her dad's offered to help me hide the body, though." I had to chuckle at that. Chief Swan had definitely surprised me at lunch that day. Especially after lunch when Bella was getting ready for work.

 _Charlie pulled me into my office while his wife and my parents sat to watch TV in the living room. I could see Renee shoot her husband a warning glance, which I was hoping would work on him. I was scared shitless at what Charlie wanted to speak to my about. I'm sure he was going to threaten me to stay away from Bella, since I obviously had done a shitty job at keeping creeps away from her. Or maybe he thought I was only with Bella because she was a dancer. I mean, sure, that's how we met, but I definitely liked her for more than her body, even when I didn't realize Bambi and Bella were the same person. Surely he was going to tell me I was a perv-_

 _"Son, I'm trusting you with my daughter's well-being," he began._

 _Wait, what?_

 _"I'd fight tooth and nail for that girl, no matter what, but I'm not who she's turning to for protection anymore. You are. So you best damn well step up to the plate when she asks you for help. Hell, you better be offering it the second you see something brewing in her mind. Bell's emotions get frazzled pretty easily, but she's also more stubborn than I am, so you'll be damn sure she's never going to ask outright."_

 _Oh, did I know that. How many times had I offered help when it came to her dealing with Jared just to have her profusely turn me down? I gave Charlie a knowing nod._

 _"I can see the way you look at her and dote on her just the right amount for her to feel like she's still an independent woman. And I admire that. I would never take that away from my daughter, but sometimes she thinks she's too strong to ask for help. She needs it, though, and I'm no longer the primary giver. You are. And I'm entrusting you with that responsibility. I don't need her getting hurt than she already has in this whole mess with this dumbass. I need to know that you're going to keep her safe, physically and emotionally."_

 _I nodded, looking Charlie in the eye when I responded. "I promise you, sir, I will do everything that I can to keep her safe."_

 _"Don't be going and doing anything stupid, though," he warned, his mustache twitching in disdain. "You're no help from jail."_

 _"I thought you were disposing of the evidence?" I asked, a smirk slipping on my face. I was still amused at his offer to tamper with evidence and hide a body._

 _"I can't help you when it comes to assault, boy. You'd have to ensure you get the job done." This time his mustache twitched up into an amused smile before dropping down into a serious expression again. "I'm serious, though, Edward. She needs you. More than she needs the rest of us."_

 _I nodded. "I know. I'll always be here for her. I love her, I'd never let her think she was alone in this."_

 _"You intend to marry my daughter, son?"_

 _I couldn't help but smile at his question. "One day, sir. You'll be the first to know when I plan to actually ask her."_

 _He grunted. "Good."_

"The Chief is nothing if not protective of Bella," Seth chuckled. "Everyone on town and on the rez knew not to go near Chief Swan's daughter."

"From what I heard, one guy actually was brave enough," I said, remembering a story she had told me about her early experiences with a guy from high school.

"Ah, yes, Newton," Seth sighed. I knew I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised that he knew about a past boyfriend of Bella's. Forks was a small town, afterall. Everyone knew each other's business. "I'd say he was more stupid than brave. All the hits he took in football caused him to lose a few brain cells, I think. Or damaged his frontal lobe a little bit."

I chuckled. "Are we sure no one has checked him out for CTE?"

He shrugged. "I haven't heard anything about him beating on his girlfriend, so I wouldn't be too concerned. He didn't go anywhere after high school." He paused before looking almost shocked that he had a patient's file in his hands. "Oh yeah, I was supposed to come looking for you. The patient in bed three is complaining of neck pain after a minor car accident. Brought himself in here, so nothing too serious. Figured you can order some CT scans just in case. I have him C-spined and gave him naproxen for the pain in the meantime." He passed me the form, effectively pushing the case into my hands. He patted me on the shoulder, calling out, "Hope everything works out for Bella," as he walked to another bed.

I sighed and glanced at the sheet in my hands, taking in the patient's name before pushing back the curtain with a smile. A man of about forty was lying supine on the bed, protocol for C-spine before a CT. I walked to the side of his bed so I could make eye contact with him.

"Hello, Mr. Granger, I'm Dr. Cullen, and I'm gonna be helping you out today," I introduced, lightly patting him on the shoulder. "I see here you're complaining of a little neck pain after a minor car accident earlier."

"Yeah, it was just a little bit of a fender bender, and I think I may have gotten a little whiplash from the impact," he said, giving me a smile. "The wife made me come in just in case, stubborn woman."  
"I think she's just concerned for you, sir," I countered, giving him a smile of my own.

"Oh, I know," he agreed. "I just wish she wasn't right so much of the time."

I chuckled. "I can understand that. Well, I'm going to call up to radiology real quick to order a CT just to make sure you don't have any fractured vertebrae, and then we can probably get you out of here with a prescription for some painkillers. I'll be back in when we get cleared to head up for the scan."

I went to the nurse's desk to put in the call, and radiology told me I could be in with Mr. Granger in ten minutes, so I headed back into the room to wheel him to the elevator. The whole trip up and down before and after his scans, he was joking with me and telling me stories about his wife. Nothing about his actions indicated to me that he had anything more than maybe a pinched nerve from the sudden movement of the impact. I was pretty sure after I got the results in about a half hour and showed them to my attending, this guy would be out of here with a prescription for tramadol to use over the next few weeks while the problem relieved itself.

When I received the scans and reviewed them with my attending, though, I knew Mr. Granger was definitely not going to be walking out of here in ten minutes.

"Holy shit," I breathed, looking at the scans against the light. "This guy's C5 and C7 aren't even connected to disk anymore."

My attending let out his breath in a whoosh. "He's been internally decapitated without any damage to the spinal cord. I've only read about one other case like this." We both stood captivated by the scans for another ten seconds before he started giving me orders. "Call the OR and schedule an emergency fusion. Have Clearwater alert neuro and call the man's wife to alert her. Tell Mr. Granger what's happening and get him up to be prepped for surgery. And make sure he doesn't even think about moving his head."

I rushed over to the nurse's station to page Seth. He called me within in twenty seconds and he cursed at the news before getting into action. I put in the call to the OR to clear a room for an emergency fusion before heading back to bed three to relay the news to Mr. Granger. He was shocked to say the least.

* * *

I was at the hospital for twenty hours that day. I had the privilege of staying the the viewing gallery to watch Mr. Granger's surgery along with Seth and the attending. The surgery took five hours, with two neurosurgeons working on it. I was glad I had decided to not become a surgeon, because I don't think there was any way I'd be able to stand through surgeries that were more than four hours long. Just watching them work down there made me tired. I didn't get home until three in the morning, and I cursed myself for staying so long when I had another shift at noon the next day.

Bella had been relatively tame in her texts that night, but I knew she was definitely drunk, or at least pretty buzzed. I enjoyed seeing them, though, while I was sitting watching the surgery. I'd tell her about the internal decapitation when she was sober so that she could appropriately freak out about it with me. One great thing about having an aspiring surgeon for a girlfriend: we could both nerd out together about science and medicine and not judge one another for it. I definitely was going to marry that girl someday.

During a break the next day, I called Bella before I laid down in one of the on-call rooms for a much needed nap. She answered, with a cheerful call of my name and a sweet hello that instantly put a smile on my face.

I greeted her in kind and asked her about her day, and she relayed to me about all the fun she had at the baby shower and then all the fun her, Rose, Ali, and a few friends from high school had after all the other guests left. I laughed at all their drunk adventures, and I felt bad for poor Angela, who was obvious DD for the night. I knew they were going to make it up to her today, but it probably sucked being pregnant when everyone else was getting drunk.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to tell Bella about Mr. Granger's case, since I could feel sleep pulling at me incessantly, so I promised to tell her about it later, and then we said our goodbyes.

Bella and I didn't get a chance to really talk again until she got home on Sunday afternoon. I actually had the day off for once, so I headed over to her apartment at dinner time. Em had invited me over, saying Jasper and him missed their girlfriends as well, so we all got together to hang out before the girls and Jasper faced their finals this week. Bella's were luckily over by Wednesday morning, and Jasper and Rose had graduation on Saturday. We had a busy week ahead of us, and we knew there wasn't going to be much time to spend together until graduation parties.

Em ordered in some Italian food, which would never compare to Bella's, but it was a close second. I told her as such, and she blushed at my praise, while everyone else wholeheartedly agreed with me. She tried to hide her smug grin behind her glass of wine, so I knew she wasn't too put out by our attention.

I relayed the story of the internal decapitation to everyone as we sat around after we ate. Rosalie had been steadily supplying us with wine for about an hour, so we were all a little tipsy by this point.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Em conjectured, raising his hands to stop everyone from speaking. "This guy's spine wasn't attached to itself, and he was still up walking around?" When I nodded, he let out a low whistle. "Science is some fucked up shit, man."

Bella giggled. "He was probably in shock. The pain of his spine being ripped apart was probably masked by the adrenaline from the car crash."

"It's pretty impressive that he didn't further injure himself, though," Rose commented, finishing off her second glass of wine.

"Oh yeah, the guy should definitely be dead, no doubt," I agreed, then shrugged. He made it through surgery perfectly fine, though. He was so nonchalant about it when I told him his head was no longer connected to the rest of his nervous system structurally. He was content in the fact that he wasn't paralyzed and kissed his wife as he was wheeled into the OR."

The group chuckled a bit before Bella's long yawn cut through. "Alright, I'm heading to bed," she said, downing the rest of her glass. "Are you staying tonight, Edward?"

I nodded and gave her a smile. "I'll be right in, angel." She smiled back before bidding everyone else good night and trekking to her room. I joined her a few minutes later after saying my own goodnights and good luck wishes to Rose, Alice, and Jasper for their finals.

Bella was just taking off her pants when I walked into her room, her oversized sleep shirt, which was actually one of my shirts, already pulled on. When I closed the door behind me, she looked at me over her shoulder, giving me a smile that I knew very well.

* * *

 **So, we got a little bit on the case with Jared, though, it's looking a little bleak right now, but there will be more news in the next chapter on that front!**

 **I can tell you, at this point we have about seven or eight more chapters left and then one hell of an epilogue that I'm planning, so this story is winding down. I'm pretty content with this as my first story on here, and I have many more story and maybe oneshot ideas in mind, so let me know if you'd like to see more from me!**

 **As always, your reviews are always a great motivation and I appreciate each and every one of them.**

 **I was also thinking of maybe including story rec's when I come across something good, so let me know if you guys want to start seeing those.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	28. The One with the Waiting Room

**Hello, lovelies. So sorry for the bit of a wait. But this chapter is quite a bit longer than my other ones. I wanted to fit a lot into this one, but then the lemon at the beginning kinda took up four pages in it's own, so...yeah. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

 **EDWARD POV**

 _Bella was just taking off her pants when I walked into her room, her oversized sleep shirt, which was actually one of my shirts, already pulled on. When I closed the door being me, she looked at me over her shoulder, giving me a smile that I knew very well._

"I know that look, Swan," I teased, my own mouth turning up into a smirk. Granted, I hadn't seen it in a while, since we hadn't had a chance to spend a whole lot of time on each other in about a month. Our sex life was still plenty active, but I did crave more than just the random quickie in an on call room or the back corners of the library at the college. It had been some time since the last time we were able to take time on each other.

"Do you, Cullen?" she countered, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. She turned and stalked closer to me, gripping my shoulders with her hands when she was close enough. She leaned in and whispered, "You wanna test that theory?" into my ear just before she pulled the lobe between her teeth. I let out a low hiss, not used to the sensation.

"I'm game," I replied, placing my hands on her waist and pulling her body flush against mine. I groaned at the comfort and familiarity, as well as the heat that was emanating from her. Her flesh gave under the pressure of my fingers, soft in all the right places and muscular in others.

Bella's mouth moved from my ear to my neck, placing wet kisses before nipping softly with her teeth, just enough for it to sting. I felt my grip tighten, and I attempted to pull her even closer, grinding my now hardening dick against her hip. I groaned at the feeling, and let out an animalistic growl right after when she gripped her fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck, giving a little tug. I felt her own body shiver at the sounds she was eliciting from me. She was getting turned on from the control she had over my reactions, and I would let her have it until she was incapable of maintaining it anymore.

Her kisses trailed from my neck up to my jaw, and her hands raked down my chest, my stomach, and she stopped at the hem of my t-shirt. When her sweet lips finally met mine in a searing kiss, her hands delved under my shirt, her warm hands making contact with my skin. The muscles in my abdomen flexed and recoiled when she lightly scraped her fingernails over my stomach. Our connection separated when I gasped in a breath, but her fingers continued their torturously pleasurable nips at my skin. Her hands traveled up to my chest, her thumbs brushing over my nipples as her other fingers wrapped around my rib cage. She smirked against my mouth when I let out a low groan. It slipped off when my hands moved around to grip her supple ass, bypassing the shirt she wore to make contact with her warm skin.

She shoved my shirt over my head, forcing me to remove my hands from her. The piece of clothing was flung somewhere in her room. Bella turned us so her back was to the door, and she lightly pushed me, making me walk backwards until the backs of my knees hit her bed, forcing me to sit on the edge. She kept pushing until I was laying on it, and she straddled me, placing open-mouthed kisses from my jaw, down my neck, across my collarbone, and then made her way down my chest. Her kisses turned into licks and nips as she moved along one pec and then the other. She lightly scraped her teeth over a nipple, causing me to hiss and my hips to raise and meet hers that were hovering just a few inches above my own. She ground down onto my pelvis as she repeated the nip to the other nipple, her barely concealed pussy rubbing deliciously against my cock that was begging to be released.

Bella seemed to sense my urgency, because she slid from my lap to the floor between my knees, and I raised myself up on my elbows to watch her. She expertly undid my belt and had my pants undone and around my ankles before I could really process her movements. My boxers quickly followed them, and she removed my shoes and socks before pulling the rest of my clothes off. I expected her to stand up and pull her own clothing off, but she surprised me by leaning forward and taking my length into her warm hand and placing her lips around the head. My breath caught in my throat and I gave her a strangled groan. My hand quickly found purchase in her hair as my head dropped back on my neck, one elbow still keeping me up.

Her hot, wet mouth slowly took in as much of me as she could, and I couldn't keep in the long moan that escaped me.

"Fuck...Bella," I panted, trying to control the tightening of my hand in her hair. I didn't want to hurt her, but my body was screaming for me to tighten my hold and move her at a faster tempo. The gentleman in me eventually won, and I simply gathered her hair in my hands so it wouldn't get in her way. Plus, it gave me a better view of her pretty red lips wrapped around my cock.

I had gotten blowjobs from a few girls in my past, but Bella by far was the best. Her mouth was so warm, and her hand that worked me over in tandem was always perfectly slick in order to provide just enough friction to drive me crazy. The was she would flick her tongue over the slit when she came up was maddening. The slight twist of her hand back and forth as she pumped it up and down was amazing, and it only got better when her hand would venture to cup my balls, expertly rolling them in her hand. Plus, the fact that I was completely in love with her probably added to the experience. There was no possible way it could get any better than this.

My body begged to differ when I felt her knuckle press into the skin just behind my balls, causing my entire body to clench in ecstasy. She had never done that before, but, God, I wish she did it more often from now on. My mind agreed with my body when Bella looked up at me through her eyelashes, a satisfied smugness apparent in her chocolatey brown eyes.

 _Oh yeah, oral definitely just got better._

Bella pressed her knuckle in again when I was just coming down from the pleasure of the previous time, and a louder moan than I had ever let out overcame me.

"Fuck...baby, I'm gonna cum," I told her, feeling my orgasm right on the precipice. Just a few more strokes and I'd be done for….

Her hand and mouth abandoned their contact with my taut flesh, and I groaned in frustration. Fuck, I had been so close.

She shook her head at me, a little smirk on her beautiful lips. "Not yet, Edward. Soon, I promise," she said as she stood.

I moved myself into an upright position, and made to grab at her shirt in order to rid her of it, but she shook her head at me again. "Move back on the bed, Edward. Your back against the pillows." Her voice was stern and commanding, and I could see that confidence that she had as Bambi seeping through. I loved it when she took control, and, if it were possible at this point, I got harder at the charge Bella had taken.

I did as she said, positioning myself in the middle of her queen size bed, my back propped up against her pillows. I watched her as she first pulled off her panties, and then crawled on the bed, coming over to straddle my thighs. She made a show of hooking her fingers into the hem of her shirt, and then slowly pulling the soft material up her body and then finally over her head. Her beautiful breasts were nearly in my face, her little dusky pink buds calling for me in their aroused state, but I knew she would scold me if I touched. Bella was demanding control right now, and who was I to deny her it?

Bella's skin was flushed from her arousal, her breathing heavy from want. I wanted to grab her hips and pull her down onto me, but she did that for herself before I could even finish the thought. We both moaned as she lowered herself onto my cock, her warmth enveloping me and begging me to thrust up into her. I controlled myself as best as I could, though, and settled for resting my hands on her hips and giving gentle squeezes as she started moving. Her movements started out cautiously, but they increased in speed and force as she continued, her hands gripping onto my shoulders for leverage.

She had been pretty worked up already, because it only took her about thirty seconds before I could feel her walls clamping down around me, and her sweet juices started gushing out of her. We had discovered last month that Bella was a squirter when I had my fingers inside her, and now that the floodgates were opened, it's like we couldn't close them. Almost any time she orgasmed now, there was a good chance she was going to squirt.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she chanted as she rode through her first release. She was barely able to keep the rhythm she had set with her hips, so I decided now was my time to take over.

I moved us, our bodies still connected, so that she was flat against her bed, and I moved her so both of her legs were up on my shoulders. She didn't protest at the change in position, so I assumed she was okay with my taking over of our love making.

Our bodies slid against each other easily, thanks to a mix of our sweat and Bella's ejaculate. I set a steady pace for us, slow enough to drive her mad with lust but quick enough to promise another orgasm.

Her hands reached for my shoulders, and tugged me, wanting my chest against hers. Her legs slid from my shoulders to the crooks of my elbows, and my body was flush against hers as my hips continued their torture. Bella's arms wrapped tight around my shoulders, her mouth next to my ear, sending chills across my back everytime she panted out a labored breath.

I felt her mouth latch onto the place where my neck and shoulder met, sucking lightly at the skin. The sensation was driving me closer to my own orgasm, which I was already struggling to stave off so she could get off one more time. Her nails scratched across my shoulders, and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before I was done for.

"Fuck...baby, cum for me, Bella," I begged, my own breath panting into her ear. "I need you to cum for me, angel. I'm so close."

Her mouth was still attached to my neck, muffling her building moans. I knew she was close, but I needed her to cum with me. I reached between us and found her clit, stimulating it, and her body tensed just before both of our orgasms barrelled through us. Her lips detached from my neck and she yelled out my name, no doubt cluing everyone else in the apartment onto what we were doing. I groaned into her neck, pumping into her until I felt myself soften.

I rolled off of Bella, keeping my arms wrapped around her, though, pulling her to my chest. All I wanted to do was breathe her in and drift off to sleep, but she started wiggling around.

"Edward, I have to go clean up," she whispered into the quiet room. I groaned in protest, hugging her closer to my body. She giggled. "Edward, you kinda came inside me without a condom, so I've got a mess on my hands." She paused. "Well, my legs."

I blanched at her statement, realizing my mistake. I had never released inside of Bella without a condom on, and when I didn't have a condom, I made a point to cum somewhere else. She was on birth control, but I couldn't help to be extra cautious. We couldn't have a baby right now. Someday, after we were married, but not now. My dad had drilled sex ed into me basically since puberty, and he had essentially scared me into never taking any chances. Thanks, pops.

Bella could probably see my panic, and she was quick to try to reassure me. She stroked my hair back from my face as she gave me a small smile. "Hey, relax. Millions of people have sex with only hormones as protection, and they never get pregnant. One time for us isn't going to be the point two percent chance that there is of it failing."

She seemed to believe her own words, and as a doctor, I knew she was right, so I tried to relax, my body releasing the tension I had just been holding. Her smile widened and she got back up, pulling her shirt back on as she walked down the hall to the bathroom. I tried to stay relaxed as I waited for her, pulling back the covers on her bed and putting on my boxers before tucking myself under them.

When Bella returned, she flashed me another of her breathtaking smiles and turned off the light before joining me. Her head fit into my shoulder and her hand found its place over my heart, still slightly elevated in beats from our activity and from my slight panic.

She pressed a kiss to my shoulder, and whispered, "Goodnight, Edward. I love you."

I returned the sentiment and listened as her breaths deepened, dragging her down into sleep. I tried to will myself to go under as well, but I was stuck on the possibility of the birth control failing. I knew the likelihood was slim to none, and we rarely had anybody come into the hospital who got pregnant while on birth control, and if they did, it was because they had forgotten a few pills, or they took it irregularly, or they forgot to use another form of contraception while taking antibiotics. But Bella was responsible, and she hadn't been sick lately, so I took her word for it, and finally truly relaxed.

* * *

 **BELLA POV**

 _End of May_

I couldn't help but the few tears that managed to escape from my eyes as I watched Rose walk across that stage in her black graduation gown, which she somehow still managed to look hot as sin in. We had all cheered loudly when her name was called out, Emmett's voice booming throughout the entire arena, which several people laughed at.

Luckily, Alice also joined me in shedding a few tears for our roommate. She was basically balling an hour later when Jasper's name was called as the business majors walked across the stage. Emmett whistled obnoxiously, and Jasper shot a dazzling grin in our direction, his sparkly blue eyes glinting on the big screen set up in the center of the arena.

We left after the business majors were finished being called, meeting Rose and Jasper at the front of the building, their parents in tow. We were a mass of hugs and congratulations for about ten minutes before Rose caught our attention by yelling, "Time to party, bitches!" I caught her parents' playful eye roll at their daughter's exuberant outburst, but they smiled as they did it. The cursing was just something you came to expect when spending time with Rose.

Alice had so graciously offered our apartment up as the venue for the rager Rose wanted to throw for her graduation. Well, it was Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper's apartment after today. I had just moved my last box of stuff into Edward's apartment the day before, and tonight would be the first night I spent there that I would be able to call it our apartment. I still couldn't believe Edward had asked me to move in with him already. I figured you waited for at least a year until moving in with your significant other, so I figured it was a little soon, but I really couldn't care. It felt right seeing my clothes hanging up beside his in the closet, and my sock and underwear drawer right below his in the dresser. I had admittedly been shocked when he had asked me last week, but I knew it was the next step for us, and we were both happy with it.

So now, Jasper was officially moving in with Alice, and they were keeping my old room as the guest bedroom, or, as Em called it, the "Edward's room when he got in trouble with Bella and didn't want to sleep on the couch" room. It was ridiculous, because, first, Emmett was an idiot, and second, because I would never make Edward sleep on the couch, even if he pissed me off. My parents always did this thing where they promised each other they would never go to bed upset with each other, even if they had just been ripping each other's heads off twenty minutes earlier. Even through the small spats Edward and I had on occasion, I kept my parents' virtues in mind, which helped me sleep better at night. As my dad has always said, "Things always look different in the morning."

When we made it back to the apartment, Alice immediately sped around, preparing the place for the anticipated guests. Rose had some really good friends that were invited, and Jasper also had some that he had spent the last four years with, working through their degrees. Alice also invited a shit ton of other people that I really didn't know, but she claimed she knew to be a lot of fun. Emmett had also taken the liberty of inviting over some of the guys from Kappa Sigma, namely Tyler, Sam, and Alec, but I knew Jacob was going to make an appearance at some point, as well. Edward had requested that we invite Seth, who he was apparently pretty good friends with at the hospital.

People started showing up about two minutes after we all finished setting everything up, and I could see the relief on Alice's face when it wasn't a moment too soon. Within half an hour of the first people showing up, our apartment was absolutely filled to the brim with people from our school and the few people we knew outside of it. Everyone was having fun, people were laughing, there was no drama going on, and, most importantly, Rose and Jazz were enjoying themselves. Rose was on shot number seven of Jack only an hour into the festivities, and I hoped Emmett would be sober enough to take care of her tonight. I knew there was bound to be a couple of trips to the bathroom in the early hours of the morning.

I had a good buzz going after a few shots of tequila, which I happily took off of Edward's neck, and I didn't miss the lustful look in his eyes when I withdrew the lime from his mouth. I was nursing a fruity ale drink when I stepped out onto the balcony at the back of the apartment. We were on the top floor, and we were the very last apartment on the corner, so it made for the perfect spot to smoke when nobody wanted to living room to smell like weed. I found Jasper, Alice, and a few of Jasper's buddies out there. I had lost my friends around a half hour before, and I saw they had broken out the stash. Everyone was passing around a blunt while Jasper sat and rolled another one, preparing for when the first one was finished. I sat myself in the last empty chair that was beside Alice and introduced myself to Jasper's friends.

"Want a hit, Bella?" one of them asked. The joint was down to a small nub at this point, so I declined and said I'd wait until we got the new one lit.

Just as Alice was passing me the new one that Jasper had finished rolling, it was snatched out of the air, just before I could get my fingers on it.

"Hey!" I yelped in protest, and also pouted, because I was expecting it to be one of Emmett's dumbass frat brothers, and I really wanted a hit off that blunt. I had been having a stressful few months, and sex was a great stress reliever, but sometimes a chemical induced high instead of a hormone induced one was nice. Plus, my girly bits were quite sore, considering Edward and I had gone at it four times the night before, since he had a rare two days off in a row, and I was finished with finals.

The snicker I heard in received in response to my protest was familiar, and I glanced up to see Edward standing above me, a smirk on his lips as he took the roll between his lips and inhaled. He passed it back to me before he exhaled, and I watched him as I took my own hit, getting that telltale fluttery feeling in my stomach as he stared back at me. Something about Edward being a doctor but still letting go and acting like a normal twenty-four year old guy by smoking weed and getting drunk created an ache between my thighs. My vagina was going to hate me for having drunk sex with him later, but I really couldn't care at the moment.

After I passed it to Jasper's friends, Edward scooped me up from the chair and deposited me in his lap after he took the seat I had been occupying. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him as he took another hit on its second pass. Fuck. I had only seen him smoke one other time on New Year's, and it had been just as strangely erotic then as it was now. I wanted to sneak him away to a room right away, but I knew that wouldn't be tactful after only being here for an hour and a half with everyone else. I'd just have to settle for when we got home later.

We made small talk with everyone on the balcony for about a half an hour as we got completely baked. I was losing my buzz a little bit though, and I thanked Tyler profusely when he came out with a round of shots for everybody. Alice didn't want one, since she didn't really appreciate being crossed, so I took hers, ensuring my buzz stayed at a good level.

The rest of the night proceeded much the same way. We all stopped smoking and went back inside, where Rose dragged me to dance with her since she claimed Em was being a spoil sport. I just laughed at danced with her, taking another few shots when I felt myself sobering up. Edward stood in the kitchen area catching up with Seth and some of the guys from the frat that had been there when he was still in school. It was still strange to see Edward so lax with his bloodshot eyes and his carefree movements. Not that he had never been a fun guy, but he conducted himself maturely due to his job, even when he was just with friends. I was able to get a glimpse of what Edward was probably like when he was in college before he had to turn all serious for medical school. I loved all versions of him, but I was always pleased to see him so loose and sociable.

Edward and I stumbled into our apartment at around two in the morning, tearing at each other's clothes as soon as he shut the front door behind us. We were naked before we entered the living room, and we didn't make it any further than the hallway to his bedroom. He had me up against the wall, demonstrating his amazing motor abilities despite his inebriated state, before stumbling our way to the bedroom to crash onto the bed and fall asleep wrapped around each other as soon as we both had our release.

* * *

 _June 1st_

Edward had just arrived home from work and I was greeting him with a hug when my phone rang. I probably would have ignored it and given Edward a proper greeting, but it was Angela's ringtone, and she was three days overdue for baby Benji's birth, and I knew she was beyond ready to get that kid out of her womb.

I answered as quickly as possible, sending Edward an apologetic smile, but he just smiled back and pointed to the bedroom. I knew he was on his way to take a shower, and I was hoping he would make it quick.

"Hey, Ang, any progress?" I answered. I was really hoping she was just beginning to go into labor, because it took over two hours to get to Seattle from Portland.

She huffed. "You can say that. I've been having contractions every thirty minutes for the past five hours, so Ben brought me to the hospital. They confirmed I'm in labor, but I'm barely a centimeter dilated and my water hasn't broken."

"And they're gonna keep you in there?" I wondered. I had never delivered any babies, but I knew it was rare to for them to keep women in Angela's situation there. They'd usually send them home and tell them to come back when the contractions started getting closer together.

"Yeah, they said since I'm already overdue, they're gonna let this play out for a few hours. If my water hasn't broken in another five hours, they'll do it to get the labor moving along. If it still doesn't progress afterward, they're gonna take me in for a C-section."

I cringed at that, since I knew Angela desperately wanted to avoid surgery. She wasn't worried about her body or anything, but she didn't want to be forced to have one every time she birthed a kid because there was a threat of tearing.

"Well, most likely breaking your water is going to work, Ang," I assured here. "It'll speed things up. I'll call Alice and Rosalie and we'll head over there as soon as possible, okay?"

She sighed. "Alright, hopefully I'll make some progress by the time you guys get here. I would feel bad if you guys sat around here for hours because of me. You guys are welcome to stay the night at the house if it takes that long, too."

I rolled my eyes at here, and I hope she could sense it through my tone. "Angela Claire, you're having a baby. You're having my _godson_. We'll wait in the hospital for days if we have to. Now, shush and send me the address to the hospital."

After we'd hung up, I received a text from Ben with the address and he informed me that Angela was having another contraction. I quickly called Alice, who happened to be standing right next to Rose, and told her the situation, and they agreed to meet here so we could all leave together. Edward came out of the bathroom wrapped in only a towel as I shoved a duffel bag full of some clothes for the both of us. By some miracle, Edward was off tomorrow. I relayed to him the information regarding Angela as he dressed, and then he helped me finish packing the bag. We were thinking wishfully and only packed a change of clothes for one day. Honestly, it was more wishful thinking for Ang, because I didn't want her to have to endure more than twenty-four hours in labor.

Alice, Rose, Em, and Jasper were ringing the buzzer to the building twenty minutes later, and Edward and I joined them outside. We rode in two separate cars to Seattle since none of us had a car large enough to fit all six of us, so Edward and I rode together in his car, and then the other four were in Alice's. We didn't make any pit stops the entire nearly three hour ride to Seattle. I was the first one into the hospital, with Edward right behind me and the rest of them a few steps behind us. I gave the nurse at the station Angela's name, but Ben showed up right as I was finishing speaking to the nurse. He had apparently gotten my text right away, and he led us all up to Angela's room in the labor and delivery wing on the third floor.

Rose, Ali, and I went into Ang's room first, the guys waiting the in the chairs in the waiting room only a few feet down from her door. She was all smiles when we first entered, her mother holding her hand, but her face soon contorted into a grimace as a contraction hit. Angela seemed to be taking it like a champ, but I wasn't sure where she was in her labor yet. I asked her mom as Ang worked through the pain, taking her free hand in my own to offer my support. Alice and Rose stood on her sides, offering reassuring hands on her shoulders.

"A PA was in about half an hour ago," she said, softly stroking her daughter's hand as she spoke. "She progressed some, but she's still only two centimeters. If her water hasn't broken in another hour or so, they'll come in and do it manually."

As if the baby knew we were anxious to see it and put his mommy out of pain as quickly as possible, Angela's water broke as soon as she relaxed out of the contraction. Alice was quick to call a nurse over and alert him. He picked up the phone in the room and called the paged the doctor. He called back about two minutes later and promised to be in in about fifteen minutes. I think he was hoping it would give Angela some time to dilate further. When he arrived, Rose and Alice shuffled out and Ben came back in, brushing his wife's hair back as the doctor checked.

The smile on his face was reassuring. "Alright, Angela, you've progressed another centimeter, so this is good. Hopefully now that your water broke, everything will start speeding up. I or the PA will be in to check every half hour from now until you're at eight centimeters. Then you can choose whether you'd like to receive an epidural at that point."

He left and I excused myself to go back into the waiting room. I saw Mr. Weber there and I hugged him in greeting. He had been down in the cafeteria getting dinner when we arrived, but he went straight into Angela's room after I told him the doctor had left.

The six of us played stupid games of Truth or Dare while we waited. We knew we were going to be here for awhile, so we were going to make the most of it. Emmett, being the large child that he was, asked the most asinine questions when someone picked truth and proposed the most ridiculous challenges when someone chose dare. The fact that we were in a hospital where people were sick and women were giving birth did not pose as a problem to him. When I chose truth, I had to answer what the most illegal thing I had ever done was, and since I had known Emmett for years, he knew the answer. He was just trying to get me to admit things in front of Edward and Jasper. I had to relay the story of when I was fifteen and took my dad's police cruiser out at three in the morning one Friday night and proceeded to go meet Mike out at deserted strip of shore down at First Beach to smoke pot and watch some of his friends do lines of coke off a park table. I had made it back by five that morning, an hour before Charlie would even be awake to get ready for work, and no one was the wiser.

Two hours after arriving, Mrs. Weber came out and told us that Angela was now at six centimeters and they were hoping she'd be fully dilated around midnight. The guys went into see Angela then, and Rose, Alice, and I offered to head down to get everyone some coffee. Walking into the cafeteria, we realized those measly little styrofoam cups were never going to do, so we ventured across the street to the gas station and bought twenty ounce cups for the six of us. We were college students who essentially lived off the stuff. Five ounces of it wasn't going to do shit for our energy levels.

When we got back, the guys were back in the waiting room, and Ben's parents were just stepping out. We greeted them as well, and the guys and girls split up into their own conversations. Mrs. Cheney was very even-tempered and soft-spoken. In the few years that I had known her, she was always cheerful and she welcomed everyone that she knew with open arms and lots of love. And even though everyone else thought she was just a sweet, middle-aged woman who loved her children, I knew she had a bit of a mischievous glint in her eye. She reminded me of Renee and Esme, but it usually took her a glass or two of wine before she was completely balls-out.

"Are you excited to become a grandmother?" Rose asked her once we had all settled into the uncomfortable chairs.

"Of course, and it's about time," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "Ben's our youngest, but he's the first one to even settle down. His oldest brother is thirty, and that man can't even keep a girl around. I was expecting to be a grandmother at least a few years ago."

We all laughed at her good-natured exasperation. "What about you guys, any nieces or nephews?"

I shook my head. "I'm an only child."

"I have two nieces, but I rarely get to see them. They're parents are worker bees and they live in California," Rose explained.

"I have two older brothers, but neither of them have any kids. I don't think they even want any," Alice huffed. I knew she was thinking about all the fun she could be having shopping for little ones that she was allowed to spoil. She had gone crazy getting Angela stuff when they found out she was having a boy. I didn't expect it to stop any time soon, either.

"Well, you're all around Angela's age," Mrs. Cheney said. "Ever think of having any of your own."

"One day," we all sighed. Both Alice and I were shocked at Rosalie's admission. Even after getting engaged to Emmett, she made no mention of wanting kids, even though we all knew Em wanted them. I knew Alice wanted as many babies as Jasper would allow, and there was no way I was letting Edward's amazing genes go to waste. Those babies were going to be adorable, and I wanted nothing more than to raise a family with him someday.

Rose shrugged at our astonished stares. "Emmett and I are engaged, and I love him, and I want a family with him, but we're kind of at a point where it's not a good time. I'm starting law school in a few months and he's got his new job. Maybe in a few years." She shrugged again, trying to play cool, but I could see the blush rising to her face that never made an appearance. I didn't even know she was capable of such a thing.

"Well, Jazz could say he wants them tomorrow, and I'd be more than happy," Alice gushed, but we already knew this. She'd been raving about having his babies since the moment they met our freshman year.

"What about you, Bella?" Mrs. Cheney asked when I failed to spew forth information like my friends.

My bottom lip somehow flew into my mouth, and I chewed on it for a few moments. "I wouldn't be opposed to it sooner rather than later, but I would like to wait until I'm done with med school. I'm not rushing into being a mother or anything."

With that sufficiently embarrassing admission, our conversation moved onto the more safe subject of school.

Half an hour later, I decided to head into see Angela again. She was slightly sweaty when I entered, her hair now pulled up into a ponytail, and she was clutching Ben's hand as she breathed through another contraction. I was quick to join in and comfort her, brushing her hair back that was sticking to her face. Once she relaxed, a gave her an encouraging smile.

"How's it coming along?" I asked.

"Contractions about four minutes apart now, and the doctor was just in to offer me an epidural," she huffed out, still trying to catch her breath.

"We're in the home stretch, now," I said. "You still sure about not getting doped up to deliver this baby? I mean, have you seen the size of Ben's head? You might want it."

"Hey!" Ben protested, looking at me indignantly, but there was mirth in his eyes.

I just beamed at him. "I call it how I see it," I shrugged. "Anyway, I'm so proud of you Ang. I can't wait to see my godson."

Angela reached up and grasped my hand. "I know we never talked about this, but would you be in here when he's born? It's just gonna be Ben and my mom otherwise." She was silently begging me with her eyes.

I smiled at her. "Of course, anything. Do you want anything right now?"

"Can you ask for more ice chips?" she asked, her face slowly contorting into a mask of pain. I held her hand through another contraction and then scurried out to locate a nurse and ask for ice.

I returned to the waiting room a few minutes later to see Em, Jasper, Alice, and Edward passed out in the chairs, and Rosalie was flipping through the latest edition of People Magazine. There was an empty seat beside Edward, so I folded myself into it and softly dragged my fingers through his unruly hair. He was in need of haircut; his hair my his sideburns was touching his ears and it was longer in the back than normal. He always kept a fair amount of length on top, but he tried to keep in clean on the sides.

His breaths puffed out through his nose and he was snoring very lightly, which I had always found adorable. I knew I should probably wake him and move him to a more comfortable position, since leaning with his head tilted back against the wall was going to hurt his neck, but he had had a long day. He worked a twelve hour shift from four to four, and then we had came straight over here, and he had driven. He had been up for about eighteen hours, and I knew he had to be exhausted. There was dark circles under his eyes and two days worth of growth of stubble on his face, which I found quite attractive, but he never kept it for some reason.

Just looking at him gave me a sense of calm and warmness that I had become accustomed to since being with him. We were never apart for more than twelve hours or so, and I had become used to his presence and the sense of home that I had when I was with him. Those few days that I was at Angela's house for her baby shower was the first time since Christmas that I had experienced an absence of that warm feeling. I had practically lived with him after the holiday between all the time we spent together at one another's homes, and now we actually did live together. I already knew that I wanted Edward in my life for the rest of my time on Earth, but experiencing that loss of contact for those few days further solidified how much my heart depended on Edward. He was everything to me, and I would not hesitate to give my life for him if the situation called for it, and I knew he felt the same. I never knew that I was missing something so precious from my life until I had started spending time with him. Even back in the days when he was just a patron at the club, I felt an easiness with him that I had never felt before. It was like he made it easier for me to breathe and made things clearer for me to see. Everything was different now that Edward was a permanent fixture in my life.

"Like what you see?" he mumbled, startling me from the internal ramblings my head was spewing. I grinned at him as he cracked an eye to look over at me.

"No, I love what I see," I amended. "I love you so much, Edward Cullen." My voice was barely above a whisper, partly because the hospital was pretty quiet now, but mostly because I couldn't speak louder from all the emotions I was experiencing.

"I love you too, Isabella Swan," I reciprocated. He picked up the hand that wasn't running through his hair and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. "Forever and ever."

My heart nearly gave out at the intensity of his words, and all I could do was smile at him.

Two hours later, just a few hours after midnight, I was in the room with Angela, holding her hand as she grunted through her count of ten with each push. The doctor had cleared her to start pushing about ten minutes ago once she became fully dilated. Luckily, she seemed to be pretty calm and in control considering she was about to push a human out of her vagina. She merely grunted softly each time she ended her count of ten. After fifteen minutes of pushing, the doctor finally announced that he could see the baby's head, and that the little guy should be out in three more strong pushes. Angela seemed more determined by that revelation and bore down hard on her next contraction. With that push, the head was out, with the next, the shoulders were out, and on the third, baby Benji had officially be born.

My godson was born on the Second of June, 2016 at 12:24 AM. I was the fourth person to hold him and was greeted by his grey eyes and head full of thick black hair. He was absolutely adorable as far as newborn babies go, considering they all pretty much come out looking like potatoes. His head was normal sized, despite probability, and his face was so cute. Asian babies always came out so cute for some reason, and I was kind of jealous. All my white children were going to be ugly compared to Jr.

 _Yeah right. They're going to be half Edward. None of those children could ever come out anything other than gorgeous._

True.

* * *

We left the hospital the next day, promising to come visit Angela and Ben in a few weeks, once they got settled and into some sort of routine with their new baby. I knew it was going to be hectic at their house for awhile, so I wanted to give them time before they had to endure Alice's gushing and Rosalie's hovering. Despite Rose's nonchalance at when she was going to have babies, she was absolutely obsessed with all things children. She had nearly cried when she got to hold Benji for the first time.

Ten days after my godson was born, I was sitting in the kitchen filling out applications for jobs around Portland when I got a call from Jenks and Carlisle on a conference call.

"Bella, we have some good news regarding this case with Jared," Carlisle informed me after making introductions.

"What do you mean? What type of good news, Carlisle?" I perked up at this information, having been dragging from filling out so many monotonous applications.

"The type that can make your case against him unnecessary."

"I have just been informed that a family is filing a lawsuit against Mr. Cameron for malpractice. And just yesterday we came across some files at the hospital that provides further evidence to other possible cases of negligence," Jenks added.

Carlisle spoke again. "This could be it, Bella."

I drew in a deep breath, trying to take in all this new information.

"Thank God," I breathed out into the phone. The exultation in my head was a little more explicit.

 _For fuck's sake! Fucking finally. Fuck._

* * *

 **Woo! That was kinda long, even for me. Let me know if you guys like these longer chapters, or if you prefer the normal 4k-5k chapters. This one came out to something like 7.5k, which is an extra four pages or so in a document.**

 **So, next chapter there will definitely be some (a whole lot of) drama on the Jared front, and a little bit of the baby to kind of break up the heavy. Because I fucking love babies, and I plan on making Bella a wonderful godmother.**

 **Some people requested that I make recommendations, so I'm going to start making one a chapter, but I'm gonna cheat a little this time with two, but I've already highly praised one of them before, so it's technically only one.**

 **First & Ten by Nolebucgrl. 10/10 would rec and definitely read again. Because, hot damn, Edward in a football uniform is too much and sassy Bella is the greatest, quite honestly. It was probably one of the first five fics I read on here when I first discovered it and I fell in love. I read it over again at least once a year because it's that good.**

 **Inside Out by RobzBeanie. Also one of my favorite authors, right next to the aforementioned. I'm pretty sure I've read all her stories on here. Just saying. This one is really original and a little bit angsty but mostly light hearted and just really fucking good. It was a oneshot, now it's a full fic. Also 10/10 rec.**

 **Okay, enough of that. Leave me a review, I always love hearing about what you guys think.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	29. The One with the Party

**Woo! Okay, up in a pretty reasonable time, don't you think? So, here's the next chapter, but before you start reading, I just wanted to address something. Many of you pretty much begged me not to have Bella get pregnant on accident, and I wanted to assure you, that she will not. The whole part where Edward freaked out last chapter was just a look into his mind about having a baby at this point in his life. Honestly, I felt like he was having a pretty typical male moment when thinking about his mistake of not using a condom. I have no intention of muddying the waters of this fic with an unplanned pregnancy right now.**

 **So, I hope that put your minds at ease. You can enjoy reading without dreading a surprise pregnancy.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

 **BELLA POV**

I was on the phone with Carlisle and Jenks for a few more minutes. Since the lawsuit had been put through, Jared was now under intense scrutiny by the board of the hospital, as well as the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Until the trial actually began, he would retain his license and was allowed to continue his shifts at the hospital as planned, but Carlisle had immediately pulled him from his research as soon as he had justification to do so. Once the trial began, Jared's license would be suspended until the conclusion of the trial, which already wasn't looking too great in his favor. According to what Carlisle had heard, since his sister-in-law was on the hospital's board, the ABNS was highly considering revoking his license any way the trial turned out. Understandably, they didn't want anyone sketchy representing neurological surgeons across the country, considering neurosurgery was one of the most difficult and prestigious professions. Usually, I would say they were just a bunch of snooty megalomaniacs, but they were about to save my ass, so I wasn't going to complain.

We ended the conversation with promises to all get together soon. I considered making plans to visit Angela and the baby at the same time, since everyone else was located in Seattle. It would be killing two birds with one stone, and seeing my godson might give me a little courage and strength to get through this whole Jared mess.

With the good news on my mind, I happily completed the rest of my applications, attached cover letters and my resumes to all of them and set them aside for when I'd be able to get them out to their respective locations. I was mostly looking for waitressing jobs that would be able to accommodate my class schedule for the next year. I actually wasn't facing a very heavy load, considering I had loaded myself pretty heavily in all the years past, but I wanted to have time to focus on applying for medical school and studying for my MCAT, as well. I was scheduled to take my MCAT on September tenth, just three days before my twenty-first birthday, which I was pretty happy about. I'd be able to stress for a few months, take the test that would determine the rest of my career, and then drink until I puked just three days later.

Until then, my stresses were the trial, my job applications, and Edward's impending twenty-fifth birthday. In just eight days, my boyfriend was going to be in his mid-twenties, and I still won't be allowed to buy a drink at the club I worked at until a couple weeks ago. Our age difference had never really bothered me. Really, he was only four years older than me, which wasn't significant by any means, but as far as life experience goes, he was vastly beyond me. He was already halfway through med school by the time he was my age and I'm barely going to be starting my senior year of my undergrad. To say I sometimes felt a little bit inferior was an understatement, but I tried not to dwell on it.

Esme was throwing a party at their house on the eighteenth for her son's and husband's birthdays. Carlisle's birthday was only five days before Edward's, so they typically celebrated together, especially since his parents started considering him an adult. Apparently, Carlisle and Edward had taken five shots consecutively together on Edward's eighteenth birthday, which I couldn't say I was very surprised by. Carlisle may be a widely celebrated and praised neurosurgeon, but he was certainly no tightass, even with his own son.

I still had yet to figure out what to get Edward for his birthday. The man had more money than he knew what to do with, what could he possibly want that he couldn't buy for himself? I knew I needed to go sentimental, but I was even having a hard time thinking of anything there. I could always give him myself for his birthday, but we were having sex four or five times a week, and every time was better than the last, so I wasn't sure how much that would actually mean. Plus, we would most likely be at his parents' house on his actual birthday, so that probably wasn't the best idea. I still had eight days to think of something, but I had told myself that when his birthday was two weeks out, and now here I am six days later.

Before I let myself dwell on that any longer, I stood up and decided to take a shower before Edward got home. We were supposed to be going out to dinner tonight with everyone else since Edward got off at five and we hadn't really all been together since Benji's birth. Alice and I saw a lot more of each other since school was out and I had nothing better to do due to the fact that I didn't have a job anymore. We also saw Rosalie quite frequently since she really only worked weekends at the club now, and she complained about how boring it was now that I wasn't there to double team with her. Jasper got a job right after graduation at a computer company as their business admin, so that took up a lot of his free time, and Emmett had started his new job at the aviation place. Rose and Alice were pretty bummed about not getting a lot of time with their guys anymore, but that left a lot of time for the three of us to catch up and hang out like we used to.

A lot of conversation centered around Rose's upcoming nuptials, which they had set a date for on December seventeenth. Since we were only six months out at this point, Alice was in full on wedding planner mode. Rose was scheduled for an appointment at a bridal shop the first weekend of July, which was three weeks away, and then there was an appointment a week later for Alice, Rose's sister, Kate, Angela, and I to get dresses. Of course, Rose already had ideas of what she wanted her wedding dress to be and the style she'd like for our dresses. She was going with white and what she called "marsala" even though it just looked like fucking maroon to me, but what did I know? She already had a guest list ready and her invitations were already picked out. Alice had been in touch with a caterer who was willing to make space for Rose's day, and we were to go and pick out the cake in early November, which still seemed like forever away. Emmett had happily taken the backseat on this and only asked that the cake not have flowers on it because he hated all the frosting. At least he didn't say anything about it not being manly or something, because Rose _and_ Alice might have ripped his head off.

The only thing that seemed to be evading Rose was the location. She knew exactly where she wanted it, and she had secured the Gray Gables Estate as her ceremony location, but she was set on having her reception at The Atrium at Montgomery Park, and they hadn't been able to tell her whether or not the venue was available for that day, and it was pissing her off, which in turn pissed Alice off, which ended up just giving me a headache. I wasn't one for all this wedding stuff, so I tended to drink wine silently while Alice and Rosalie yammered on about all things bridal.

As I was stepping out of the shower, I heard the front door open and close, signaling Edward's arrival. I was still only wrapped in a towel, shuffling through my drawers to find appropriate underwear for where we would be tonight. Rose, Alice, and I had a surprise for the guys as to the venue of our get together, and I was definitely looking forward to it.

Edward greeted me with a quick kiss before he dropped his backpack on the floor and started stripping from his scrubs. He raised an eyebrow at the lacy underwear in my hands, and I just cast him a smirk as I dropped my towel and started pulling on my underwear.

"What's the fancy underwear for?" he called, and I heard the water starting in the shower. I pulled my robe on before entering the bathroom with him, my makeup back and hair styling tools in hand.

"They're just lace boyshorts, they're not that fancy," I argued. I heard his soft scoff just before he slid the door to the shower closed. "I wear these all the time!" I defended. Which was true. Just because they happened to have lace on them did not mean they were special occasion panties. Honestly, they were just the matching panties to the bralette that I was going to be wearing out tonight.

I heard him scoff again and all I could do was grin and shake my head at him, even though he couldn't see me.

I was just brushing out my hair when I recalled my conversation with Carlisle and Jenks before my shower.

"Oh! I got some very good news from your dad and Jenks about half an hour ago," I said, raising my voice slightly to be heard above the shower spray. "They said some family came forward with a malpractice lawsuit, and the hospital and ABNS are already on his ass about other instances that have gone unreported."

The door to the shower slid open, and Edward poked his head from around the corner, his hair dark and dripping wet, water falling from off the end of his nose and eyelashes.

 _He so did not deserve those eyelashes. He doesn't even appreciate the gift that he's been given. Stupid boys and they're stupid long eyelashes._

"Holy shit, Bella. That's amazing." There was a hopeful gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face, and then it was replaced a split second later with a darkness. "That fucker better get life in prison for whatever he's done."

I repressed the urge to roll my eyes at his dramatics because I knew he actually believed that Jared deserved it, and I wasn't saying that he didn't deserve punishment, but I thought a life sentence was kind of overkill. And I knew there was no way in hell any judge would allow that sentencing, unless it was revealed that he had killed someone due to his negligence.

"Your dad said that even if he was acquitted, there's pretty much no way he'd get out of it with his license. Carlisle's already taken him off his research and he's suspended from the hospital once the trial begins," I explained. Edward nodded at me and disappeared back into the shower.

"This is fantastic," he praised. Then I heard him mutter something about rather attending his funeral than his trial, but I ignored it and allowed myself an eyeroll since he could no longer see me. "It's gonna all be over soon, angel. No more Jared stress."

Admittedly, that knowledge allowed me to let out a relieved sigh. It would be nice to ensure that Jared was no longer a threat to my future career or well-being.

"Do they have a date set for the trial yet?"

"No, Jenks said he'd contact us as soon as there was word. He also wants to meet with us soon." I told Edward about my idea of visiting our parents and Angela all in one weekend so that we wouldn't keep having to make trips out to Seattle. He agreed it was a good idea and he would try to get a weekend off soon.

I took the time to blow dry my hair before beginning to apply some makeup. After all my face makeup, I slapped on some eyeliner, mascara, spruced up my eyebrows, and threw on some lip stain. Edward had gotten out of the shower after I finished drying my hair, and I could hear him rustling around in the closet trying to find clothes. I knew he was a bit peeved at not knowing where we were going, but I had assured him that a button down, jeans, and a light jacket were acceptable. It wasn't his usual attire for where we were going, but the pretenses were unnecessary tonight.

He came up behind me in the bathroom as I was running a flat iron over my hair to spray on some cologne that made me want to rip all his clothes off any time I smelled it on him. I may have possibly started drooling as we were standing there, because he smirked at me and pressed a chaste kiss to my temple, even though his eyes were burning into mine with lust in the mirror. I nearly burned myself with the hot tool in my hand.

 _Get it together, Bella. It's just you're insanely hot boyfriend. You've seen him naked a hundred times._

 _Yeah, but the anticipation of sexy times was still thrilling._

I shook my head to clear the internal monologue and turned off the iron. When I emerged back into the bedroom, he was securing a very expensive Rolex watch onto his wrist, but I knew he didn't really own anything less flashy. Watches were one thing that he allowed himself to indulge in, so I wasn't going to hold it against him.

I quickly dropped my robe and slipped on the bralette I had laid out on the bed. My dark jeans came on next, and I could feel Edward's eyes tracking my every movement. As much as I wanted to disregard tonight and just stay in bed with him until he had to work tomorrow afternoon, I really wanted to go out tonight. I gave him a smile and went into the closet to grab myself my leather jacket and the pair of nude heels Alice had insisted that I wear. They were a pair of way too expensive Louboutins that she had just given to me randomly at some point our sophomore year. I had protested, but she said her parents bought them, but they were a size too big and coincidentally were my size. I didn't believe that for one second, but I took them anyway, because they were fucking Christian Louboutins, and I was no dummy. No girl in their right mind was going to turn down beautiful nude heels with that coveted red sole.

There was a knock on the door and Edward moved to get it while I slipped my feet into the heels. I took his exit from the room as an opportunity to watch his ass in his jeans. Edward worked out regularly, and we had become somewhat of work out buddies when he had a day off. I still joined Rose at the gym at the apartment complex regularly, but it was a treat when Edward and I went to his gym together. I definitely didn't push myself like he did, but I honestly spent most of my time watching his muscles strain and roll with every workout. I swear I was a dude in another life, because the way I checked out Edward's body could not possibly be normal for a twenty year old girl.

Alice and Rose greeted me when I joined Edward in the living room. I told Edward I was driving, leaving no room for arguments or protest, and he just huffed his acquiescence. He handed me the keys to his car and a flashed him a smile as we exited the apartment. As soon as we were in the car, Edward was bugging me about where we were going, but I refused to tell him. It was a surprise that I hoped he was going to like. He made sure to be as annoying as possible the whole fifteen minutes it took us to cross over the Willamette and pull up across the street from the familiar building.

Edward was suspiciously quiet as we got out of the car and joined the other four. Emmett and Jasper were excited, which was to be expected of males. Edward, on the other hand, looked like he was in some sort of pain as we approached the front doors. The bouncer at the door was a new guy that was hired after I left, so I didn't know him, but he nodded at Rosalie, who gave him a soft smile back.

I grabbed ahold of Edward's hand as we walked into the loud club. Bree automatically welcomed us inside the door, and she seemed pretty excited to see me. Bree and I had been the youngest, so we had bonded when she started on a year after me. She hugged both Rose and I and escorted us to an open booth in the center of the club. She took our drink orders and quickly put it into James.

While Alice was gushing over being in the club, I scooted closer to Edward.

"Are you okay?" I asked in his ear, since it was hard to be heard over the music otherwise. "You look like you're kinda in pain."

He looked at me and nodded before leaning so his mouth was closer. "For several weeks, I came here just to see you and spend time with you and watch you dance for me. It was a slow torture that I subjected myself to voluntarily. I wanted you, but I knew I couldn't have you. And honestly, I can't think about you and I being here together without getting aroused. So, the look on my face is me trying to will my dick to behave."

I could feel my skin heating at his words, and I was thankful when Bree came by with our drinks on a tray, as well as glasses of water for each of us. I caught James's eye at the bar and nodded in thanks for not being a little bitch about my age. I still had three months before I'd be twenty-one, but I wasn't quite sure if James was privy to that fact.

The six of us drank and watched Rose's and my friends dance and have fun with each other and the patrons while they were on stage and on the floor. Emmett had made a good call about ordering fries and onion rings to share, because Alice and I were driving us back home after we were done here, and I was just trying to be buzzed for about two hours before I cut the drinks off for myself.

At some point during the night, after Emmett was completely sloshed, a familiar face popped up in the crowd. I smiled when his surprised eyes locked on mine. He made his way over and stood beside me next to our booth. I immediately hopped up and pulled the man into a hug.

"Marcus! It's so good to see you again!"

"Bambi! We've missed you! Where have you been?" His kind eyes shimmered with his obvious joy at seeing me. I had seriously developed a soft spot for Marcus over the years, and it had pretty much crushed me when I realized I was leaving him when I left the club. He was always the highlight of my nights when Edward wasn't there and I considered him a good friend.

"I actually don't work here anymore," I admitted. I brushed him aside to pull him up a seat as he greeted Rose and introduced himself to the rest of the table. I took my own seat beside Edward again.

"You went somewhere else and didn't take Barbie with you?" he asked, genuinely curious. Emmett, Edward, and Edward all gave small snorts at the sound of Rose's name, which Alice, Rose, and I rolled our eyes at. If Marcus noticed our little exchange, he didn't say anything, bless his heart.

I shook my head. "I'm actually not dancing anymore at all. So, I guess you can call me Bella now." I offered him a smile.

He returned the smile. "Bella. Very fitting. Why did you decide to leave?"

"Something happened, and I decided it was probably time to call it quits. My school and future career are too important to jeopardize." I decided to tease Edward a little bit. "Plus, this one over here just _begged_ me to leave. Something about other men seeing me pole dance." I hooked my thumb over my shoulder and rolled my eyes for good measure.

"I did not!" Edward balked, nearly spitting out the drink in his mouth. Everyone else laughed and I gave him a gentle squeeze on his knee to reassure him, that I was just messing with him.

"I think I've actually seen you around here before," Marcus said, looking at Edward. "You always came in a really nice suit. Armani, if I'm not mistaken."

Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter. The women rolled their eyes at the impending teasing that was about to ensue, and Edward shrinked back in his seat to prepare himself.

"Aw, you come all dolled up to visit your girlfriend at work?" Em teased. "That's adorable."

"In Armani, nonetheless," Jasper drawled, a smirk plastered on his face. His Texas really showed when he had a couple drinks in him.

"That's how Edward and Bella met, you idiots," Rose huffed, finishing off her Cosmo.

"You met Bella at the club?" Jasper asked.

"I thought you guys met at the party at the frat house on Halloween?" Emmett joined, his confusion eclipsing Jasper's.

I glared at drunk Rose, who just giggled before announcing she was getting another drink.

I felt more than heard Edward sigh next to me, and then squeeze my thigh, as if to say, "Well, we tried, at least."

"I met Bella here one night in September after a thing I did for the hospital," Edward began. "When I met her on Halloween, I didn't realize it was her. She was wearing a mask. I didn't realize they were the same person until she came into the ER that one night."

"That's why you booked it out of there like your ass was on fire?" Em asked.

Edward shrugged and gave me an apologetic smile. "I was a little shocked, to say the least."

"So you're a dirty creep, picking up young dancers at the local clubs?" Em joked, taking a swig of his beer.

Edward rolled his eyes. "There's only a four year age difference. And she's an adult."

"Okay, Pedophi-"

"That's enough, Emmett," Rose interrupted, swatting him on the back of the head. He rubbed at it and glared at her.

"You hit me with your ring," he whined. "That thing is a weapon."

"Pick a more blunt cut next time," she countered, smiling as she sipped her drink.

"You don't like oval or round cut!" he protested.

Rose shrugged. "Sucks to be you, then."

* * *

"Bella, you got a text message from an unknown number!" Edward called through the bathroom door.

I had just stepped out of the shower in Carlisle and Esme's home. Tonight was Carlisle and Edward's party, and Alice had demanded that we get there early so we all had time to primp. Which really meant I showered, and then her and Rose fussed over my hair and makeup until it was time for me to step into the dress that Alice had picked out for me.

We were staying in Edward's old room, which I thought was incredibly endearing in it's teenage boy glory. Esme hadn't changed anything since Edward had left, and Edward hadn't lived at home full time since he was about sixteen, so there were Star Wars and grunge band posters on the wall, the obligatory super model in a barely there bikini, some awards he had received in high school, and a floor to ceiling bookshelf full of books, CDs, records, and DVDs. His entire bedroom could probably fit the living room of my childhood home into it.

 _Must be nice to have money._

"Can you check it? It might be Carlie. I haven't saved her number into my phone, yet."

Carlie was my new manager. I had gotten a job just last week at a family-owned restaurant near campus. It was a pretty classy place, considering it's location, but they served ten dollar glasses of very fine wine, and their base steak meal was nearly twenty dollars. It was obviously nowhere I had ever eaten before, though Edward said we would amend that soon. I had just rolled my eyes at him.

I would be working pretty much full time for the rest of the summer, and I had been going to orientations and training days for the last week, but she had graciously given me the weekend free to be able to celebrate Edward's birthday. She had told me that my first shift would be some time in the middle of next week, and she'd get a definite schedule out to me as soon as possible. I was hired on as a waitress and hostess, and they paid well above minimum wage, not to mention the tips went solely to the server and the busboy. When I did the math, I'd be making nearly as much a week as I had when I was at the club, so I had accepted the offer about an hour after it was made to me.

Carlie also happened to be Jake's new girlfriend, which was a surprise to me when he walked in and greeted her with a kiss on one of my training days. Carlie was very pretty in a girl next door kind of way, with her long, wavy chestnut hair, big caramel colored eyes, porcelain skin and small stature. When she wasn't wearing her normal business attire while working, she settled for jeans and usually a plaid button up shirt. I didn't think she was much Jake's type, but, as Edward had commented, he had liked me, and Carlie and I shared similar features. I was just happy he was officially off my back, and they both seemed really into each other, so I was content.

Edward was silent as I entered his room from the en suite. One look at his face told me that the text was definitely not from Carlie.

"It's him again, isn't it?" I asked, although there really was no need to.

"The fucking bastard," Edward muttered, turning the phone so I could see it.

I blanched and felt a little bit of bile rise in my throat. What the fuck? Who does that? Who thinks that a girl really wants to see their semi-erect, horribly under manscaped penis when they open a text message. The lewd message typed out underneath it suggested that I was "missing out" on a lot of fun, and he was ready for me whenever I decided to take him up on his threat.

"I swear to God, I'd kill him if he wasn't being watched so closely," Edward seethed. I had a feeling he was one hundred percent serious.

Jared had really been upping the ante over the last few weeks. Apparently no one had made it apparent to him that everything he did was being watched and monitored, because he had taken to sending me threatening text messages and essentially sexually harassing me via text message. I had told Carlisle and Jenks about it and suggested that I block his number from my phone, but Jenks had told me it was best to keep them, that way he could compile them all as evidence against him if it came to it. I honestly didn't want to keep his rather unattractive penis on my phone, but I had promised Jenks.

I took the phone from his hands and tossed it on the bed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my face up against his chest. The somewhat elevated beating of his heart thumped in my ear and I kept myself there until his heart regained its regular rhythm. His arms came up and wrapped around my shoulders, pressing me even closer to him. I felt his lips press to the top of my head as he sighed.

I moved back a little bit, looking up at him. "It's gonna be okay," I promised, trying to offer him a small smile, though, I wasn't sure I was even convinced. "Jenks said the lawsuit goes to court on the first of the month. This will all be over soon."

"How are you so calm about all this?" he questioned, his green eyes holding anguish. I hated seeing him like this, especially over someone as worthless as Jared Cameron. "This is your future and the scumbag that's harassing you."

"Believe me, I want to castrate him and then feed them to my mom's new puppy," I grimaced. "But, I know there's nothing he can do to ruin my future anymore. He's getting everything taken away from him, regardless. I mean, hopefully, he rots in jail, but I'll be content with his license being revoked."

Edward's lips turned up into a wry smile. "I feel like feeding the puppy his balls is animal abuse on some level."

I couldn't help but giggle. "Probably."

Edward dipped down and pressed a kiss to my lips. It was slow and tender, with just the perfect amount of tongue. "I love you," he whispered. Another kiss.

"I love you, too." Another kiss. Then another. And another.

Then a knock at the door. "Bella, we have to start getting ready!" Alice.

I sighed. "Be out in a minute!" I hugged Edward close to me before stepping out of his embrace. I found my robe over the back of Edward's desk chair and slipped it on, and then pulled on panties underneath it.

I saw Edward's eyebrow quirk up in the mirror on the wall. "No bra?"

I smirked. "My dress doesn't exactly allow for one." I walked by and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "See you in a bit." I giggled at the hungry look on his face.

 _Definitely getting laid tonight._

* * *

"Bella! Be careful! Don't mess up your hair!" Alice's voice was shrill and commanding, and I had heard far too much of it in the hour and a half that I had been in the room with her and Rosalie.

I was just now stepping into the dress, and Alice was still not shutting up. How she thought I would mess up my hair by stepping into and pulling up a dress was beyond me. And it wasn't like she had done anything fancy to it, either. She had just curled it into soft waves and hung loose around my shoulders. Apparently, she wanted to give me that "freshly fucked" look while still keeping it classy around Edward's family. Because the whole family would be here tonight, extended family and all. Not to mention Emmett's judgy mother. Lord knows she would be calling me a hussy in her mind all night long. She may even actually share that sentiment with other people. The party didn't start for another half hour, and I already needed a drink.

"Alice, I think I can manage," I said, already having the dress pulled up over my hips. I slipped my arms in the sleeves without a problem, and then turned to have Rose zip me up. When I turned in the mirror, I nearly cringed.

"What? You don't like it? That dress is beautiful!" Alice was panicking.

"No, Ali, it's stunning and I love it," I tried to assuage. It really was beautiful. It hit about two inches above my knees and hugged my hips in a very flattering way, and it was covered in a beautiful purple lace with scalloped detailing over the nude material. I loved it. But… "I just think I'm going to give Dr. McCarty a heart attack when she she's the neckline. I can nearly see my bellybutton."

Alice rolled her eyes while Rose stifled a chuckle. "Oh, please, don't be dramatic, Bella. This ain't no J-Lo at the Grammy's. This is classy. Just a tasteful amount of skin, and no risk of a nip slip, even without fashion tape. And I know full well you're bellybutton is another couple inches below that."

"Plus, I'd kill to see the look on Elizabeth's face when she sees you in that," Rose chortled. She really did have a strong dislike for her future mother-in-law. "I nearly look like a nun compared to you."

She was right. She had on a baby pink lace dress with a barely there v-neck and cap sleeves that kept her ample bosom somehow contained. She reminded me of Mrs. Cleaver, and it was a little shocking.

"You look like a housewife from the fifties," Alice commented. Ah, we were on the same page.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to get my monster-in-law to actually tolerate me. I figured dressing like a two dollar whore was not the best way to go."

"You never dress like a two dollar whore," Alice argued.

"Yeah, you look like you'd at least charge fifty dollars. Much more classy," I deadpanned.

"Exactly! See, Elizabeth just needs to brush up on her prostitute knowledge," Alice agreed.

We were all silent for a split second before bursting into laughter. We all carefully dabbed under our eyes, at Alice's demands, so as not to mess up her "masterpieces."

There was a knock on the door as our laughs subsided.

"Girls? Are you ready?" Esme asked, peeking her head through the door. "Guests are arriving. You all look beautiful. Though, I must say, Rose, this is kind of like the Twilight Zone." She chuckled and Alice and I burst into laughter again.

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. "I know, I'm just as freaked out as you all are. It's just one night, though. I can be June Cleaver for a few hours if it prevents your sister from ripping my eyes out."

"I never much paid attention to Liz's opinions, dear, and neither should you," Esme softly reprimanded. "She's too uptight for her own good." She shook her head. "Anyway, your men are waiting impatiently downstairs."

We trailed out of the room after Esme. The chatter and music got louder as we made our way down the grand staircase. True to her word, Em, Edward, and Jasper were leaning against the bar in the den, talking quietly with one another. All three of their heads shot up when they heard our heels clicking against the hardwood floor that ran throughout Edward's parents' house. Edward quickly pulled me to him, tucking me up against his side before dropping a kiss to the top of my head.

"You look incredibly beautiful, love," he whispered. He rested his hands on my hips, a safe place when there were so many family members I had never met in the vicinity.

"You don't look too shabby yourself, mister," I replied, running a finger over his purple tie, that suspiciously matched the color of the dress I was wearing. He had on charcoal grey slacks with a fine pinstripe and a heather grey dress shirt, sans a suit jacket, since it was unnecessary in his own home. Much of the other men that I could see were dressed in the same manner. "Did Alice get you the tie?"

"She did." He rolled his eyes. "I was just beginning to tie the one I had on, when she burst into my room, demanding I wear this one. I can see why, now." He smoothed his hands over the lace of my dress, his eyes lingering over my exposed cleavage. I licked my lips and pulled the bottom one into my mouth. "Do you think it would be inappropriate for me to steal you away upstairs for a little while?" His eyes were dark when he looked back up into mine.

I smirked at him. "Very, considering you are the birthday boy."

"So is my dad, they won't miss me too much while he's around to talk to." His grip tightened minutely on my hips. "Come on, you know you wanna get out of that as much as I want to take it off of you."

I leaned in and kissed him gently, pulling away before he could deepen it. "I would love too, but I see an old woman that looks suspiciously like your grandmother heading this way, and I don't think she'd appreciate it if we ran off upstairs before we could greet her."

Edward sighed and gave a little eye roll, that I couldn't help but chuckle at. He grumbled something under his breath that I couldn't quite catch, before turning his body to look at Esme's mother. He plastered a bright smile on his face, and I copied the gesture, but I tried to look less pained than him.

"Grandma Platten," he greeted, his voice soft despite the strain on his face. "It's good to see you."

From stories I had been told, Grandma Platten wasn't the most loving or warm woman in the world, which presented itself a lot more in her younger daughter than her oldest. Her and Edward didn't have a very good relationship, but Edward had been close to her late husband when he was younger. He had mentioned in passing once that he planned on his next tattoo being his grandfather's name, he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. He was unsure if his grandmother would be getting the same memorial on his body.

"You too, Edward, you're looking a little too thin, though," she commented, patting his stomach with the hand that wasn't holding her cane. "You should take some notes from your cousin." She jerked her head in Emmett's direction, who was grinning mockingly at Edward. "Though, maybe not too many, he's looking a little pudgy." Emmett's smile dropped, and I reigned in a chuckle that was trying to work its way past my lips.

Edward rolled his eyes when his grandmother wasn't looking. "I can assure you, I'm healthy. Anyway, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Bella Swan."

I gave her a polite smile and offered her my hand, which she surprisingly shook. "It's good to meet you, Mrs. Platten."

"You too, Ms. Swan. Am I to assume correctly that Edward is treating you right?" There was a hard look in her eye as she looked up at her grandson.

"You are, ma'am," I appeased. "He treats me very well." I looked up at Edward and raised my eyebrows.

She nodded her head, before moving past us to greet Emmett and Rose. Edward's lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, "I'd be treating you very well if you'd let me take you back upstairs."

I couldn't help the blush that crept up my face. I shoved at his chest lightly. "Edward," I warned. I stepped away from him and moved to walk toward the family room.

"You don't want anything to drink?" Edward asked, quickly falling into step beside me, his arm encircling my waist.

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to be any type of intoxicated while you're extended family is here. You know how I am when I have alcohol."

His hand swiftly slid down to my ass and gave a soft squeeze. "Oh, I know." He chuckled and quickly moved his hand back to my hip, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Exactly, now let me find your dad so I can wish him happy birthday."

* * *

Dinner was served about a half hour after I found Carlisle. We hugged and he had kissed my cheek while thanking me for the birthday wishes.

Esme had served grilled salmon, salads, soup, rice pilaf, and green beans for dinner. We all ate kind of scattered throughout the house since there wasn't much room for us to all sit in one area. Edward and Emmett's immediate family all sat in the dining room, along with Rose, Alice, Jasper, and me. Elizabeth had actually acted quite civilly to all of us, even Rose, while David joked jovially with his son, nephew, and brother-in-law. Everybody else had a few drinks in them at this point, so they were all loose and laughing. Even though I hadn't had a lick of wine or other liquor, I found myself having just as much fun as the rest of them. I was saving my alcohol consumption for when the extended family left, because I really didn't feel comfortable being any amount of inebriated around them.

After dinner, Edward and I mingled amongst his family. Even though Emmett was his only first cousin, he had plenty of great aunts and uncles that had plenty of children, so there were a lot more people here than I had expected. There were even some younger kids that were his cousins a couple time removed, but no one ever really kept track of the relation. They just all knew they were related one way or another.

Esme announced that it was time to sing Happy Birthday to her two boys around eight, so we all gathered around the dining room table, where Edward and Carlisle sat next to each other. Esme had made them each their own cake with their names on them. Edward's had big candles with a two and a five on them, and I was surprised to see that Carlisle's candles showed that he had turned forty-nine. He honestly looked like he could still be in his early forties, with his flawless skin and his blonde hair that held no hint of grey whatsoever. The only real sign of his age were the laugh lines around his eyes, but they gave him a happy look more than anything.

Edward pulled me into his lap as we all sang Happy Birthday to both of them. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek before nuzzling his face into my hair. He had told me before that he hated when people looked at him while they sang to him on his birthday, so my curled hair was the perfect shield this year. Both men quickly blew out their candles and Esme took both cakes to the kitchen to start cutting them. She firmly waved Alice, Rose, and I away when we offered our help.

I was sitting in Edward's lap again ten minutes later, contentedly eating the chocolate cake with strawberry center that Edward had chosen, when I heard the front door open and the bang close. All of us in the dining room heard it, and Esme was the first to hop up, quickly disappearing around the corner. There was the muffled sound of Esme and a man exchanging words, the sound getting louder and louder with each sentence exchanged.

Carlisle quickly rose and went to join his wife, a slightly alarmed look in his eyes, though he excused himself calmly. When Carlisle joined, the voices rose to nearly yelling, and Edward quickly scooted me off of him. I grabbed his hand and walked quickly to where his parents and the unknown guest was. The rest of the guests had gone quite at the apparent argument, and the only sound left was the arguing and the music playing in the background.

When we rounded the corner and stepped into the foyer, I blanched, and I felt Edward's hand tighten around mine. I could sense the anger flowing through him without even looking at his face. I knew it would be pinched up in disgust.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Cameron?" Edward asked, his voice deadly calm. Esme would normally reprimand Edward for his language, but she was quietly seething by Carlisle's side, his arm gripped in her hands.

"Ah, Eddie! Happy Birthday!" he greeted. He was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, but it was slightly crumpled, and his hair was in a bit of a disarray, like he had been running his hands through it. His words were slightly slurred together, and I could tell he was drunk.

 _Not good._

"Oh, and look, you brought just the girl I wanted to see!" He moved to take a step toward me, but Carlisle stepped in his way just as Edward pulled me into his side. Jared didn't seem to notice the defensiveness. "Bella! Did you get my little present earlier?"

Edward was about to say something, but I cut him off. I gave him a look that I hope portrayed, "I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"I sure did, Jared, and might I say, what a _little_ present it was," I affirmed, hoping he caught my insult through his drunkenness. "I was rather unimpressed."

His confused look turned into one of rage a split second before he pushed past Carlisle and started marching toward me.

* * *

 **Okay. So, Jared's about to fuck his life up more than he already has. Next chapter we will see more of this confrontation and we will see the beginning parts of the lawsuit in court. Needless to say, Jared's about to dig himself into a deeper hole. Plus, we'll have a little bit of lighthearted stuff mixed in for some of Rosalie's wedding preparations.**

 **As always, your reviews are always greatly appreciated. I love to hear everything you guys have to say! And thank you so much to those of you who review already. I love hearing from you!**

 **Story Rec:**

 **Fly Away Home by LyricalKris.** Because her own life was so devoid of it, Bella always wanted to protect sweetness and innocence in other people. Maybe that was what drew her to Edward, a strange, socially awkward, but very sweet man. She couldn't know the secret he held-that he wasn't what he seemed, and she was the one being protected. **Really guys, it's outstanding. The plot is so different than anything I've ever read on here and it's just absolutely amazing. Definitely a great read.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	30. The One With the Fight

**I am so incredibly sorry for the wait! I started school again last week, and lo and behold, the wifi doesn't work -_- And, I'm the dummy that writes chapters on Google Docs, so I couldn't even access them to write the rest of this chapter. The wifi finally got fixed today, thus, we have an update. As long as the wifi keeps working, the next chapter should be up next week.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

 **BELLA POV**

"You little bitch!" Jared raged, his neck tendons bulging and his forehead vein popping. The absolute craziness and irrationality I saw in his eyes was actually frightening. I flinched back from his approach just as I felt Edward push me behind him, his broad body fully situated in front of mine.

Everything happened too fast for me to really register it, and my view was obstructed by Edward's body. There was the sound of skin making very harsh contact with skin in a sickening smacking sound. Then there was a loud thud, like a body meeting the hardwood floor. I heard Esme's voice calling out, and I expected the commotion to be over, but then a body was falling into mine, causing me to lose my balance and fall on my ass to the ground, subsequently hitting my head on a decorative credenza behind me. My vision was overtaken by black whorls and my ears started ringing, leaving me to hear everything like I was underwater. There was the sound of skin hitting skin again and Edward's voice more angry and unrestrained than I've ever heard it. A few people were beside me, Esme, Rosalie, and Alice I guessed, one of their hands' were running over my head, probably checking to make sure I hadn't split anything open. Then there was the sound of Emmett's booming voice over the cacophony of other voices, seemingly ending whatever commotion was going on at the moment.

My vision eventually started to clear, but my ears were still ringing. I could see a stumbling and semi-unconscious Jared, blood pouring from his nose, lip, and a split on his left eyebrow, being dragged out the front door by Carlisle. Edward was being held at the shoulders by Emmett, who was crouched slightly to meet his cousin's eyes. Edward was seething, his shoulders were stiff and his jaw was clenched tightly, the muscles there going crazy. His eyes were dark, not like when he was turned on, but in a dangerous, almost crazed way. His chest was heaving and his hands were on Emmett's forearms, trying to get him to release his shoulders, but I could see the fight slowly draining out of him.

Esme was still petting my hair, I could now see, and she was whispering soothingly to me between giving orders to Alice and Rose. Alice scrambled up from her crouched position beside me on the floor and rounded the corner into the kitchen. My hearing was coming back little by little and I heard Rose call to garner Emmett's attention. She said something to him about Edward and then her head jerked in my direction. Alice reappeared with a glass of water and a white object in her hand. I couldn't tell what it was before Esme was pressing the glass of water to my lips and encouraging me to take small sips.

The ringing had finally stopped enough by the time Edward crouched in front of me, and I could hear him murmuring how sorry he was for Jared. I tried to tell him to stop apologizing, that it wasn't his fault, but there was a blinding light flashing in my eyes before I had the chance. I shrunk away swatting my hand at his. I think I must have said something with a few too many expletives in it, because Rose, Alice, and Esme chuckled and Emmett said something about me being fine, since I was being "typical Bella." I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I didn't think about it too long before I was scooped up in Edward's arms and he was bounding up the stairs like I weighed nothing.

He deposited me on the bed, going back to shut the door to his room, and then sitting on the edge. He looked so concerned, and his brows were nearly fused together in the center by how hard they were furrowed. I raised my hand and smoothed my finger over the harsh valleys, trying to rid them from his beautiful face.

"Bella, are you okay, baby?" he finally asked, and I ascertained that my hearing had been fully restored. Except now I had a throbbing headache that was annoying me more than anything.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just have a really bad headache, and I think I may have bruised my tailbone," I said, giving a low chuckle. I had many accidents in my lifetime, but I think bruising my tailbone took the cake for most ridiculous injury. Because of all the times I've fallen or tripped, I've never landed straight on my ass.

"What day is it?" he asked abruptly.

My brows furrowed now. "Uh, June eighteenth," I responded with a slight hesitation. Then I realized he was doctoring me, so I rolled my eyes and answered the questions I knew were going to come next. "My last name is Swan, we're at your parents' house celebrating yours and your father's birthdays, and the year is 2016. I have a very mild concussion, considering the headache, but nothing that requires a hospital visit. I'm fine, Edward. I've had a few before, I know how to deal with them. I was incredibly clumsy growing up. I've told you this before."

He gave me a very unamused look and grabbed my left hand. His thumb smoothed over the small scar at the base of my thumb. "What do you mean you were clumsy growing up? You're still pretty clumsy."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not as frequent anymore. Now, can you get me some painkillers so I can pop those and then go to sleep. I'm very tired."

"Bella," he said, his voice warning.

"Wake me up every hour is that will make you feel better, but let me get some sleep. It's been a long day."

He sighed then, and moved off the bed to his en suite. He reemerged a few moments later with two pills in his hand and a glass of water. I gratefully took the pills and then stood, turning my back to him. "Will you unzip me?"

Edward's hands were on my shoulders then, softly running his fingers over my muscles. I hummed at the sensation, my head dropping forward on my shoulders, my chin resting on my chest. His fingers moved up over my neck and then into my hair. He ran over a particularly tender spot and I couldn't help but wince. That was where my head hit the antique credenza in his parents' foyer, and I hoped that I hadn't broken anything on it. I wasn't sure exactly how I had been knocked over, I just knew it had led to the knot I was sure was forming on the bad of my head near the nape of my neck.

"You're gonna have a pretty big bump there for a while," he whispered. He pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck, just below my hairline, before his hands slid the zipper down on my dress. He pushed the dress off my shoulders and it pooled at my feet on the ground. I stepped out of my heels and then turned and kissed him chastely. I was really too tired to take this anywhere else tonight, and I don't think he would have even tried.

Edward pulled the covers on his bed back for me and I slid into them with a small sigh. He pulled the sheet back up around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"I'm going to go down and talk to my dad about what happened. I'll be back up in a bit to wake you up and get into bed."

"You're not going to enjoy the rest of your party?" I asked, the last word getting distorted by a yawn.

He gave me a sad smile. "I think we've all had enough excitement for one night. Besides, it's really only my younger relatives left. All the older people went home about an hour ago. And I'd much rather be snuggled up with you in my bed."

I flashed him a small smile. "Okay, we'll talk when you wake me up. I'm not exactly sure what all happened down there. It may or may not be due to the concussion." My eyes drifted closed.

I felt his fingers brush my hair back from my face. "We'll talk about it in the morning, love. I just want you to rest for now."

I hummed my agreement. I could feel myself drifting off as he pressed his lips to my forehead again, and I was completely under before I heard him open the door.

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a mild headache and a large bump on the back of my head. The space next to me was cold, which meant Edward had already been up for a while. A quick glance at the clock told me it was already eleven-thirty, and everyone was most likely downstairs. There was a glass of water and two pills on the bedside table, and I guzzled them down quickly, hoping they'd get rid of my headache soon, because I was not in the mood for this. I was still tired, my head hurt, and my ass hurt so bad, I had a hard time walking from the bed to the bathroom that was ten steps away. Sitting down to actually pee was an adventure in and of itself.

The trek down stairs, after throwing on a tank top and pajama pants, was even more of a struggle. I never took into account how much the coccyx actually moved while you walked. Anatomy had apparently taught me nothing my second year of college. Thanks, Dr. Weaver!

Everyone was already in the kitchen when I finally got down there. Esme, Rose, and Alice were flitting around the kitchen preparing brunch/lunch, and the smell of bacon made my mouth water. Em and Jasper were sitting at the small table in the kitchen, and chess board between them. I honestly had no idea that Emmet even knew how to play chess, but I guess I had never asked him. Carlisle and Edward were sitting at the island with cups of coffee in their hands, whispering quite heatedly between each other.

No one had heard me come in, despite the exaggerated hobble I was sporting from the bruised tailbone. I waddled my way over to the coffee pot, where there seemed to be a fresh pot brewed. Alice noticed me first and hugged me and asked if I was feeling okay. She poured and prepared my cup for me while I affirmed that I was fine, just a slight headache. Everyone else bid me a good morning before I was able to take my coffee and then inch my way over to the island to plop myself next to Edward, who gave me a concerned look at my gimpy stride.

"Are you okay?" Carlisle asked before Edward was able to form the question.

I nodded. "Yeah, just landed on my ass last night. Did a number on my tailbone. Walking is a little difficult," I explained, finally settling into the chair.

"Are you sure it's not broken?" Edward asked. I could tell he was about five seconds away from ordering me to an emergency room to get an X-ray.

I waved him off. "I didn't land that hard, and it doesn't hurt that bad. Calm down, Dr. Cullen."

Carlisle chuckled and Edward shot him an annoyed look.

"So, what exactly happened with Jared last night? It's all kinda a blur," I said, sipping contentedly on my coffee.

Carlisle explained to me that he came in pissed drunk, I called him out on the sad state of his penis, and Edward laid him out when he charged toward me. Unfortunately, Jared grabbed onto Edward's legs when he was on the floor, Edward fell into me, and I subsequently injured myself. While I was trying to regain my bearings, Edward pretty much pummeled the guy, and Emmett eventually had to pull him off. Carlisle walked Jared out and called him a cab, and he assured me that he was unlikely to press any charges, since he was trespassing and he had threatened me. Jared wasn't the smartest cookie in the jar, but he had some sense of self-preservation.

After we all ate breakfast, I went up to Edward's room to shower and dress for the day, since we had all planned to go to the zoo today. It was going to be a challenge with the current state of my ass, but Edward had promised to carry me if I so wished, and I was really looking forward to piggy-back rides. I was an adult, but I would never refuse piggy-back rides from my ridiculously attractive boyfriend. He was constantly being checked out in public by other girls, and being latched onto his back was a pretty good way of saying, "back off, he's mine."

Alice kept trying to insist on dressing me in some ridiculous outfit that was not at all appropriate for a trip to the zoo. I was fine with the skirt she wanted to put me in, and the bustier style crop top wasn't exactly disagreeable, but I absolutely put my foot down at the blue wedge heels she said had to go with the outfit. I absolutely refused the heels, even though I didn't plan on walking very much. They were just a bit too much for a casual day. In the end, she let me dress myself, since the shoes were a deal breaker for her. So, I dressed myself in some denim cut-offs, and flowy olive green shirt, and a pair of Chucks. Much better than a skirt and heels.

As he promised, as soon as we entered the park, Edward crouched down to hoist me onto his back. I couldn't keep the grin off my face as we walked to the flamingo exhibit, my chin propped on his shoulder. I felt like a child, but I couldn't have cared less at the stares some people were giving me. It pretty much went on like that the entire day, and I had never been so thankful for Edward's physical fitness. Well, I appreciated the way he looked shirtless because of it, but this was actually a testament to his hard work. He didn't complain once and pretty much carried me around like I was a toddler instead of a twenty year old woman. He only ever put me down when we ate, when I wanted to get closer to the animals, or when I needed to use the restroom. He even carried me all the way back to the car when we decided it was time to leave.

We all left back to Portland straight after the zoo, since we had a bit of a drive ahead of us. Edward and I walked in the door at about ten that evening and pretty much fell right into bed after pulling off our clothes. We were so exhausted that all we did was cuddle and kiss before we both settled in on our sides and drifted off to sleep.

I was awake before Edward the next day, surprisingly. Although, he had carried me all over the day before, so I'm sure he needed to rest a lot more than I did. I crept out of the room quietly and closed the bedroom door behind me to ensure that he wouldn't hear me in the kitchen preparing breakfast for his birthday. I decided to step it up just a little bit from our usual eggs and toast or omelets, and I quickly whipped up batter for french toast. I puttered around the kitchen for about a half hour before I had made half a loaf's worth of french toast, eggs, and sausage. I was just putting out the juice on the table when Edward stumbled out of the bedroom only in his boxers, his eyes a little squinty and his hand running through his hair.

"Happy Birthday, baby," I greeted him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. I tried to pull back so he could eat, but he wrapped one arm around my waist and his free hand cupped the back of my neck as he pulled my mouth back to his.

I was completely out of breath by the time he pulled away. He hummed. "Thank you, angel. I love you."

"I love you, too," I reciprocated with a smile.

I pulled him to his seat at the table and put his plate in front of him, along with the syrup and a cup of orange juice. He hummed after his first bite and I didn't hear a word out of him until he had finished three slices. Like any typical male, he had syrup left in the corner of his mouth that somehow evaded the napkin every time he ran it over his lips. Finally, I had enough of watching the sugary little blob, and I just leaned over and wiped it up with my thumb before licking the digit clean. I had thought it was an innocent gesture, almost motherly, even, but the way Edward's eyes zeroed in on my lips as I sucked the syrup off my thumb made it seem like the most seductive thing I had ever done.

Within seconds, Edward was kneeling on the floor in front of me, the shirt of his that I wore to bed pushed up to my waist, and his mouth was attached to my inner thighs, kissing, licking, and nipping his way up toward my suddenly very heated center. I had no intention of having sex at the kitchen table thirty seconds before, but now I was panting like a bitch in heat. In another five seconds, my underwear were nowhere to be seen, and I knew I was dripping wet, my body already ready and willing for him.

After a good fifteen minutes of his tongue, lips, and teeth on me and two orgasms, the food on the table was pushed aside and I was laid in its place, my shirt and his boxers gone. He slipped into me with little warning, causing both of us to moan. It was non stop for a half hour after that, my orgasms hitting me every few minutes. As amazing as sex always was with Edward, I had never experienced anything like that before, and I was hoping to see more of it in the future.

We laid in bed later that afternoon, naked and cooling down from our sex marathon on the table. My head rested on his chest and my leg was thrown across his as we talked. His hand lazily stroked through my hair, and I could have fallen asleep, but I didn't want to give up any time talking to him. This was the last day he would have off for about a week straight, and I would be starting my new job, so we weren't going to be seeing much of each other.

"What do you wanna do for that rest of the day?" I asked. It was only one in the afternoon, so we had several hours of the day left. I had never celebrated a birthday with Edward, so I wasn't quite sure if there was anything he particularly liked to do on his special day.

"I would be more than happy if we stay here all day and watch TV or something."

I suddenly remembered that I still had his birthday present waiting for him. I made a sound of realization and hopped out of bed, moving to the closet where my jewelry box was kept. Edward asked me what I was doing, but I just brushed him off and told him to wait while I got something. I kept the plain white envelope in the bottom section of my jewelry box, because I knew Edward would never even bother himself with going in there. It was the perfect hiding place for the small present.

When I emerged from our closet, Edward looked at me with a curious expression, his eyes lingering on the envelope in my hands. I crawled back into the bed with him and placed the envelope on his chest.

"What is this?" he asked, taking the paper in his hands and inspecting it. There were no markings on the outside; it was just a plain, blank letter envelope.

"It's your birthday present, now, open it." I had finally figured out to get him, and I was quite proud of myself for coming up with it on my own.

He hesitantly popped open the seal and then reached in to get the four tickets I had stuffed inside. His brows furrowed in confusion at first, but then widened in surprise when he realized what they were.

"You got me tickets to an Angels' game against the Mariners?" he asked, sounding a bit like a little boy on Christmas. The big beaming smile was even plastered on his face. It was contagious, so I couldn't help but smile with him.

"I sure did. I figured it'd be good since you're the only one who likes them and everyone else likes the Mariners. It's a win-win for whoever you take."

He looked a little confused again. "But why are there four?"

"I figured you'd like to take Em and Jasper and maybe Seth or something."

"You don't wanna go?"

I barked a laugh. "Oh, God, no. I can hardly watch on TV, much less sit my ass in those hard seats for nine innings. Use it as a guys' day."

His blinding smile was back. He set the tickets on his bedside table before rolling over to press my body underneath his. He pressed kisses to my face and neck so lightly that they almost tickled.

"Thank you so much, baby," he sighed, not stopping with the kisses. "You're the best."

"Damn straight."

Edward's kisses turned from playful to frenzied and passionate in a split second, delving us into another round of incredible sex. Needless to say, we really didn't do anything productive for the rest of the day.

* * *

 _July 1st, 2016_

The first of the month marked the beginning of Jared's trial. Jenks anticipated that it would last about a week given how much testimony and evidence they had to plow through. Apparently, a lot more people had come forward with complaints, so now he was being tried for three counts of malpractice, two counts of negligence, and two counts of abuse. Even if he was only convicted of two or three, he'd be put away for a very long time.

We had driven into Seattle the day before, and we were staying with Edward's parents and would stay for the weekend so I could visit Angela and my parents. Rose was also doing her wedding dress shopping the next day in a boutique in Seattle, so we were all spending the weekend in Washington. We'd go home for the week until Jenks told us the jury had finished deliberating.

Edward and I got dressed that morning to attend the hearing. We had agreed to go the first day for opening statements and a few people's testimonies, and then we'd go again on the last day in order to hear the verdict. So, we got ready side-by-side that morning, Edward dressing in a pair of black slacks and a light grey dress shirt with the first few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up, and I slipped into a grey dress that buttoned up the side. It wasn't extremely fancy, but it seemed appropriate for a court room, and I certainly wasn't showing up in jeans when Edward was dressed in slacks.

We arrived at the courthouse five minutes before the hearing began, sitting with Edward's parents a few rows back. We sat on the prosecutor's side, which was the People of Washington, on the opposite side of where Jared sat in a nice suit. His hair was combed into place and he had a neutral look on his face, a stark contrast to how he looked when I last saw him at the Cullens' home. He looked around the room before the judge entered, and his eyes grazed past me a split second before focusing back on me and holding eye contact. His face was held blank for a few moments before the mask slipped away. If looks could kill, I'd have dropped dead right there in that courtroom.

Edward noticed that Jared and I were essentially having a staring contest from across the room, and he protectively slung his arm across my shoulders, pulling me closer into his side. Jared's eyes never moved from mine, his lip nearly curling up into a snarl. I had never seen anyone so angry in my life, even when he was charging at me a few weeks ago.

His glaring was only broken when it was announced that the judge was entering, so he faced forward as he stood, his back almost completely turned toward me. He looked rigid, even as we were all allowed to sit back down as the judge took her seat.

I could understand why Jared was angry with me or even just my presence in the room, but I didn't understand why there was so much hatred in his looks. Sure, we didn't exactly have the best track record with each other, but it wasn't like I was the one pressing charges. I had actually avoided filing any legal reports because I wanted to avoid having to go to trial, if it led to that. I had a feeling that he thought I was here to testify against him, which wasn't true. I'd just ignore him for the rest of the day.

No one had told me, but after the opening statements were made, Carlisle was set to testify. He basically laid out all the infractions piled against Jared on file from patient files from the hospital. In the fifteen minutes that he was up there, I was informed that two patients had actually died as a result of Jared's negligence, and I could hear the family of those patients sniffling in the row in front of us. I had to hold back tears myself as I listened to Carlisle describe the treatment given to those patients.

By the end of the day, I was emotionally exhausted. It was hard, as a future healthcare provider, to listen to all the horrible and incompetent actions Jared performed on his patients. How he got away with it for so long and so many times was beyond me.

When we arrived back at Carlisle and Esme's house, Edward and I changed out of our more dressy clothes and into pajamas. We fell into bed and curled around each other, just enjoying each other's presence and the comfort we found in one another. He ran his hand through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp with each pass, and I lightly ran my fingertips over the small amount of chest hair near the base of his throat and between his pec muscles. He claimed to dislike his body hair, but I thought it was pretty sexy.

We didn't talk, just laid there and breathed and lightly touched each other innocently. We fell asleep within a few minutes, Edward slipping under just a few moments before I followed him.

* * *

The next day, Alice, Esme, Angela, and I went with Rose to a bridal boutique to help her pick out a dress. According to Alice, it was a little late in the game to be dress shopping, seeing as how the wedding was in December, but I would figure that five months was plenty of time. Alice cried that it was an outrage that I didn't know any better, and then she got Angela and Esme to side with her. I just shrugged it off and paid no mind to them while bouncing little Benji in my arms.

My godson was exactly one month old to the day, and he had gotten considerably bigger since his birth. Angela informed me that he was now almost two pounds heavier than he had been at birth and a whole inch taller. Even though he was pretty stinking adorable when he was first born, he was even cuter now, especially since his skin was now all smooth and his hair was dark and fluffy. His eyes were already darkening from their grey color at birth, and his little lips puckered in his sleep was the most heart-warming thing I had seen in a long time.

"So when are you and Edward going to give me grandbabies?" Esme suddenly asked, obviously watching me dote on and fawn over little Ben.

Angela and Alice giggled beside me as my cheeks flamed from Esme's question.

I didn't know how to answer her, honestly. I knew I wanted children at some point, but I wasn't sure at what point that would be. I had years of school left to complete, and did I really want to throw a baby in there sometime in the next five years? Would Edward and I even really be able to handle that? Not to mention, I wasn't sure that Edward even really wanted children. He had mentioned it pretty much in passing once a few months back, but there hadn't been a discussion since, beside his mini freak out about a month back when we had sex without a condom for the first time, despite the fact that I was on birth control. If that didn't tell me that that man wasn't ready for kids, I don't know what would.

Esme was still waiting anxiously for an answer, so I gave her what I thought to be a diplomatic response.

"We haven't talked about it. We've haven't even been dating a year, Esme. I promise to let you know if we ever decide to have kids."

Apparently that wasn't a good enough response for her.

"If? What do you mean 'if'? I will have grandchildren, Isabella Marie, and my son sure as hell isn't ever letting go of you, so you're responsible with providing me with grandchildren."

I'd be a little put off by her apparent outrage at my conditional statement, but Esme had had a few glasses of wine at the restaurant we had lunch at before coming to the boutique, and I knew she got very forward when she was intoxicated.

Alice and Angela were cackling at this point, obviously amused by this discussion and my discomfort. Good thing Rose was in a room getting into a dress right now. There would be no end to this if she were here.

"I promise you, I want kids, Esme," I tried to sooth. "I will be more than happy to give you grandchildren, but that's not just up to me. I don't know if Edward even wants kids, and if he doesn't, I would never push him to have them." Hopefully that would placate her-and take some of the blame off of me.

She waved her hand as if to dismiss the idea. "Of course Edward wants children."

My brows furrowed. "He's told you that?"

"Well, no, but I see the way he looks at kids. He wants kids, Bella."

"You can't know that for sure if you haven't actually asked him."

"If you just asked him, then I'd be able to get my grandchildren quicker."

"I promise you, we will talk about it eventually."

She finally seemed satisfied, so she sat back in her seat with a small grin on her face and a slight nod. I tried very hard not to roll my eyes at my boyfriend's mother, even though I loved her as much as I loved my own mother. She was a little feisty when she got drunk. I should have learned that lesson back when I first met her.

Finally, Rose came out with a beautiful, but kind of not appropriate for the time of her wedding, dress. It was a sheath silk dress with thin jeweled straps that connected all the way to the middle of her back. We all apparently had the same opinion, because Rose was the first to say that she thought it would be too cold for it in the middle of December. We agreed, and she went back to try on what she promised was a more suitable style of dress.

She came out a few minutes later in a pure white, dropped waist, mermaid style, lace dress. It had long sleeves, and the neckline cut from shoulder to shoulder. The skirt of the dress was made of tulle, and the bodice hugged her curvy figure perfectly, but I wasn't the biggest fan of it all together.

"I like the style, but I don't think it's the one. You're on the right track," Alice said, completely expressing what I had been thinking.

The consultant's face brightened and she claimed that she had the perfect dress before ushering Rose back into fitting room around the corner. It took a little longer than usual to get Rose back out in front of the mirror, but when she did, we were all pretty much speechless. Esme started crying, which made Alice cry, which made me cry, which made Rose pretty much break out into sobs.

"You look perfect," I sighed, dabbing at my eyes, trying not to mess up my makeup. I had mistakenly chosen today of all days to put on eyeliner. But, in my defense, I didn't think I was going to be crying.

"I'm in love," Rose swooned. "Forget Emmett, I'm marrying this dress!" That caused us all to laugh.

"Is it safe to say that this is the one?" the consultant asked.

"Hell yes!" Alice exclaimed.

Rose laughed and nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

* * *

 **So, we got to see a glimpse of a very angry Edward. The Edward in this story is a lover, not a fighter, so this was kind of big for him. But he had to protect his lady.**

 **We wil see the conclusion and a few more details of the trial next chapter. I can tell you there will be a time jump and then we'll get to see Edward's day with the boys at the game, but there will be a little bit of a surprise, although, I'm sure you all can probably guess what will happen.**

 **Also, I love Esme. Anyone else?**

 **There is going to be two recommendations this week. They are There Will Be Blood and There Will Be Freedom johnnyboy7. Holy shit, those two are good. Edward is definitely OOC, but he is lovable all the same. If you like lots of drama and a lot of fierce Bella, you will love these stories. I know Edward's a little bit of a shit head in the beginning, but he is definitely worth all the time to get to his gooey insides, because hot damn, that boy is fine. Cockyward is a favorite of mine, for some reason.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	31. The One with the Verdict

**Alright, I'm back. Internet has been a bit of a problem, but I was able to work around it. So, here's the next chapter. We have the end of Jared's trial, so this means things are wrapping up. I'm anticipating about four or five more chapters, and then** **probably a two part epilogue. I'm not quite sure about that yet, but I know there will be an epilogue.**

 **I won't keep you guys waiting any longer. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY**

 **EDWARD POV**

 _August 4th_

Jared's trial lasted much longer than anticipated. A month later, we were finally back in the courtroom to hear the verdict. The jury had been let out to deliberate yesterday afternoon, and they had finally come to a decision late last night, so court was reconvened this morning for their decision to be read.

Bella was pressed into my side, her bottom lip nearly chewed through from the abuse it was taking from her teeth. She had been doing it a lot more recently. The stress from the trial, studying for her MCAT, and her job was taking its toll on her. She had perpetual dark circles under her eyes and she was looking thinner than usual, which I wasn't used to with her. Bella was slim, but she had curves in the right places, and I could see the normal suppleness to her skin fading by the day. I knew she hadn't been eating or sleeping much, and I was hoping once the verdict was given, she could release some of her stress and start to get back to her normal health. We still had to wait another month until she took her MCAT, but she was pretty confident with her knowledge in biology, so hopefully she'd be able to relax.

My left hand was grasped between both of her small ones in her lap. Her fingers were obsessively running over each of my knuckles on each finger and then repeating the circuit. She had been doing this for the last half hour while we waited for the judge to enter the chamber. Jared had been brought in only ten minutes ago, and I noticed the steely glare he kept shooting Bella's way. I wanted to punch him again, but I knew I couldn't really get away with that in court.

I had asked Carlisle about Jared's extreme anger towards Bella after the first day of the trial. I knew he had seen the way Jared and Bella were basically having a glaring contest across the room. He had said that he suspected that Jared thought she had been the one to first report him to Carlisle, which was true, but he thought she had something to do with the board looking into all his patients. In reality, Bella had made Carlisle wary, but it was ultimately a patient's report to the hospital of possible malpractice that caused all of this mess that he was in at the moment. Jared simply had his anger misplaced.

The judge finally walked in two minutes later and quickly called court to order. She addressed the jury first thing and asked them to read out their decision.

A short, portly woman with flaming red hair and cat eye reading glasses stood, a paper with their verdict written on it in her chubby hands.

"On the first count of malpractice, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"On the second count of malpractice, how you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"On the third count of malpractice, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"On the first count of negligence, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"On the second count of negligence, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"On the first count of abuse, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"And on the second count of abuse, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty, your honor."

There was a collective sigh of relief on the prosecutor's side of the benches, and I saw patients and their families hugging each other and smiling happily. I felt Bella's tense body relax against mine, and I rubbed her arm, trying to offer her as much comfort as I could. She pressed her body closer to me and sighed.

"Mr. Cameron, you will immediately have your medical license for the states of Washington and Oregon revoked. You will be held in the city jail until the court meets to determine your sentencing. Ladies and gentleman of the jury, the state of Washington thanks you for your service."

I took Bella's hand and we walked out of the courtroom with my parents in tow. As soon as we made it to the atrium, Bella's whole body relaxed and sagged into mine. I ran my thumb over her knuckles to offer some comfort, and I was rewarded with a soft but tired smile.

"I need a drink," she sighed.

"Or ten," my mother sighed from my other side.

"We can have some wine when we get back to the house," my dad offered, opening the door of the courthouse to let us out onto the front steps.

"I was thinking more like tequila shots," Mom amended.

"Amen," Bella nodded, putting her hand up for a high five that my mother readily returned. My dad and I just shook our heads with matching smirks on our faces.

* * *

True to their word, when we arrived back at my parents' house, Esme broke into the liquor cabinet and brought out a very large bottle of Patron and four shot glasses. She poured them as we gathered around the bar. My dad appeared suddenly with a salt shaker and cut up wedges of limes. I couldn't even think about tequila shots without seeing images of Bella on Halloween licking salt off my collarbone and retrieving the lime from my mouth. I willed the arousal in the pit of my stomach to go away for right now so that I could keep composure in front of my parents.

We each took a glass, and she raised one in a toast. "To the end of that awful man's career," she declared. We repeated after her and clinked our glasses together before licking up the line of salt from our hands, throwing back a the shot, and then popping the piece of lime into our mouths. My mom couldn't help the pained look on her face at the sourness of the lime.

Esme stopped at the first shot, always having been a bit of a lightweight when it came to hard liquor, but the rest of us kept going for a bit more. I stopped myself at four, since I had just consumed them within ten minutes, but Bella and Carlisle kept going, although pacing themselves a bit. By the end of an hour, they had both had six shots and they were both still semi about their wits. I knew Carlisle could drink enough to put out a horse, but Bella was a small woman, and she was holding her own. She was a little giggly at nearly everything that my dad said, but she was still standing upright and her speech wasn't slurred. I had obviously seen Bella drink before, but not really this much in such a short amount of time.

It was getting closer to dinner, so my mom shook off her buzz and started bustling around the kitchen. It was just going to be the four of us for dinner, since Jasper and Emmett weren't arriving until tomorrow. The game wasn't until seven pm the next night, so they didn't feel the need to drive up tonight. I gathered Bella and took her upstairs despite her protests, saying she needed to help Esme in the kitchen. Honestly, I didn't want her around knives and other sharp instruments while she was drunk. I did not want to be anywhere near a hospital on my first day off in nearly two weeks.

Once we got to my room, I helped her stumble out of her dress and into a more comfortable outfit of yoga pants and one of my t-shirts, despite the bit of difficulty I had balancing due to my own state of slight drunkenness. The shots I had consumed earlier were finally starting to hit me, and I could feel the room shift slightly with every turn of my head. I could only imagine what Bella was feeling right now.

I stripped out of my own clothes and slipped on a pair of sweats as Bella laid down on top of the covers in my childhood bed. I had been a bit spoiled with the queen-sized, pillowtop mattress, and I had thought that it was a little much when I was in high school. It's not like I ever had anyone to share it with, since I hadn't had an actual girlfriend until college. But now I was grateful for it's size, since I now got to share the space with Bella when we visited Seattle. Of course, we had a significantly larger California king back home in our apartment, mostly to accommodate my height, but we made do with the queen.

I slipped into bed beside Bella, curving my body around her back. I pressed my nose into her soft locks and inhaled the strawberry scent that I had always loved about her. I wondered for the longest time when we first got together where the scent came from. Naturally, I thought it was her shampoo or conditioner, but I found that she used some fancy shampoo that definitely did not smell like strawberries. I couldn't figure it out until she started spending the night and then have to get ready for school in the morning. I watched her get ready in the bathroom from my place in bed, and saw her pump some clear sticky product in her hand. As soon as she rubbed it together in her hands, the scent wafted into the bedroom, and I discovered the source of her amazing smell. When I asked her about it, she said it was a product she had used for years in order to stop her hair from frizzing, since her wavy hair and the constant humidity permeating from the river and the ocean back home caused for some trouble.

"Baby…" she whimpered, her hand grasping at mine that was wrapped around her waist. I knew that tone of voice. Bella was almost always horny when she had been drinking, and apparently today was no different, even if we were in my parents' home.

"Yes, Bella?" I asked, trying to play coy. I really wanted her to take a nap before dinner, since she hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately, but I could never deny her.

"Touch me," she breathed. I felt myself getting hard against her as she moved my hand with hers down to the hem of the shirt she was wearing and pressed them between her thighs. The cotton of the underwear I had been expecting was absent, and I groaned softly.

"What happened to your panties, angel?" I asked through clenched teeth, trying to stop myself from turning her over and ramming myself into her dripping wet pussy.

"I took them off," she answered, a sly little smile on her lips. It was replaced with an open mouth and a small cry of pleasure when I rubbed my fingers gently over her clit. "Fuck…."

* * *

Emmett and Jasper arrived at the house at four the next afternoon. Bella asked me what had happened to Seth, so I told her that he hadn't been able to get the time off from the hospital, so I was taking one of my friends from high school with us instead. The entire thing was a lie; I had never invited Seth, because as soon as Bella had presented me with the tickets on my birthday, I knew who the third extra ticket would be for, and I didn't want Bella to know. I planned to keep it all very under wraps, even from my parents, and I had sworn Em and Jasper to secrecy, even from their very nosy girlfriends. They didn't know exactly what I planned to do today, but they could see the seriousness in my eyes when I had asked them to not say anything. I hadn't even told them who I was inviting to the game.

We left the house at five. It was only a half hour drive to Safeco Field from my parents house, but it took us a good fifteen minutes to even pay for parking, and then another ten to find a parking space. Apparently, there were quite a few Angels fans in the Seattle area, because I saw magnets, and stickers, and license plate covers with the team's logo on them, so I didn't feel all that out of place wearing my Trout jersey and a hat that my parents had gotten me for my birthday. My dad might have been a Mariners fan, but he respected my taste in teams. Even if we were doing pretty shitty this season.

The man I was waiting for was standing just where I had told him to meet us over the phone earlier in the day. He had on a Mariners t-shirt that matched the ones Emmett and Jasper were wearing. He gave me a warm smile when he saw us approach, and a little bit of tension I had been holding in my shoulders all day disappeared. The man didn't hate me-quite the contrary, actually-so today should go on without a hitch.

Emmett was first to spot him as we walked up. We were still about twenty yards away, so he used a slightly raised voice. "Dude, you invited Chief Swan to the game with us? What the hell compelled you to do that? I mean, I like the guy, but it's Bella's _dad_. Isn't that kind of weird?"

I shrugged. "I have something to take care of with him." It was vague, I knew that, and they both gave me suspicious glances.

When we were ten yards away, Jasper's face turned up into a knowing grin. "Man, congratulations for having the balls to do this."

I knew that he knew what I was up to today. "Thanks, but I don't think it's that big of a deal. He likes me, I just thought I'd butter him up with a baseball game." Inside, I was actually a little bit terrified. I had to keep reminding myself that I had essentially already told this man about my intentions, in not so many words.

"He may like you, but she's his only kid, and he's the Chief of Police. He has guns."

I had to roll my eyes at his dramatics. "I already told him about what I want. This is just kind of making it official."

"What the fuck are you two girls talking about?" Em finally piped up, when we were only a few feet from Charlie.

Jasper gave him a hushed, "I'll tell you later," just as we stood in front of the chief.

I greeted him with a smile and a firm handshake. "Charlie, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming out for this."

He brushed the statement away with a wave of his hand, a maneurism that he and his daughter had in common. "Thank you for inviting me. I'd travel just about anywhere for a ball game."

I reached into my back pocket to pull out my wallet and retrieve the tickets, handing out one to each of the guys. Em and Jasper greeted Charlie as we made our way to the turnstiles, where people in Mariners uniforms scanned the tickets as we passed through. Bella had gotten me pretty good seats, so we only had to go up one level to reach our seats just behind the dugout on the third base side. For claiming to not pay attention to baseball a whole lot, she sure did know a bit about the sport. I had made love to her that night as a thank you, but I had to remember to thank her again once we got back, because holy shit, being this close was amazing.

We settled in with Charlie towards the center of the row, me next to him, and then Emmett and Jasper on my other side. We watched quietly as both teams warmed up on the field. There were kids gathered around the dugout, all decked out in Angels merchandise, holding memorabilia and markers in their hands if they got the chance to get a player's attention. Mike Trout took a detour after his warm up to sign some things and pose for pictures before heading into the dugout. A few other players did the same after him as it got closer to the start time.

Jasper and I headed up to the concessions to grab four orders of nachos and four beers just before the start of the game.

"Do you already have a ring?" he asked as we stood in line, a few people back from ordering.

"Not yet, but I'm planning on giving her my grandmother's ring. My mom has it, so I have to ask her for it tomorrow."

"It's not gaudy or anything, right? You know Bella would never go for that. Nothing big and flashy. Think the complete opposite of Rose."

I chuckled, because he was absolutely right. And Rose's engagement ring was an absolute monstrosity, but she loved it. It was also her favorite weapon against her fiance, so she loved it twice as much.

"No, it's only a carat of jewels. It's mostly diamond with a little bit of sapphire near the base. My grandparents weren't the most well off when they got married, so it's nothing extravagant."

"Her birthstone. Very nice," he nodded, shuffling up in the line. "It's like you two were meant to be." He batted his eyelashes in jest, but I couldn't help but to silently agree with him.

Everything about Bella fit with me and into my life so perfectly-like my missing puzzle piece. She dealt with my crazy hours and work and never once complained. She'd just be ready with dinner for me if I got home late in the night, or she'd be cuddled up on her side of the bed if I got home in the wee hours of the morning, snuggling right up into me as soon as I laid next to her. She made me laugh and love like no other woman I had ever met. I thought about her in all of my spare time, and sometimes she'd sneak her way in there even if I was in the middle of dealing with a patient. I would lay down my own life to protect her, and I knew she'd do the same for me, though I would never let her. I wanted to spend every night for the rest of my life lying down beside her, and I wanted to wake up every morning to her beautiful face. One day, I wanted to wake up to tiny feet pattering on the floor in our bedroom, and see a little girl with her mother's beautiful mahogany hair and chocolate brown, doe eyes. I wanted it all with her. All the good and the bad and everything.

I told Charlie a more abridged version of these thoughts during the seventh inning stretch, when Emmett and Jasper had left the seats to get more beer and hit the restrooms. I was done drinking, since I was driving us back, but Em and Jasper were well on their way to stumbling all the way to the guest rooms tonight.

After I got done with my little spiel of how much I loved his daughter and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, I cleared my throat. He was looking at me with a slightly smug smile on his face, no doubt enjoying watching me squirm a little while I told him all this. But there was something else in his eyes that I had seen in Bella's a lot over the months that we had been together. There was a look of contentment and joy there that I had never expected to see in the Chief's eyes, except maybe on his baby girl's wedding day.

"Are you asking me for my permission to marry my daughter?" he asked, sparing me from pouring any more of my feelings out.

I shook my head firmly. "No, sir. Bella's a grown woman who can make her own decisions. With all due respect, sir, I know you're her father, but Bella is the only one I should be asking for permission. I am asking for your blessing, though."

Charlie's smirk grew into an actual grin, which made me relax a little bit. I had been hoping that my forwardness about my view of asking for permission didn't mean I was stepping on his toes or putting my foot in my mouth.

He clapped me on the shoulder. "Son, as long as you've realized that no one is in control of Bella except for Bella, then you're alright by me. You make Bella happier than I've ever seen her. I'd be a fool not to support something that would make her happy for the rest of her life. I think this is a little quick, considering you've known each other for less than a year, but I'm in no position to say anything. Renee and I got married six weeks after meeting each other, and we've been together for twenty-two years. When you know, you know."

And that was the end of that.

On the drive back home, after an unfortunate loss by the Angels to the Mariners, Emmett was just drunk enough to be more of a nosy asshole than usual.

"So why did you bring Papa Swan along? No one ever did tell me," he said, resting his head against the headrest of the passenger seat.

"That's because it's none of your damn business," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You and Jasper were being all cryptic! I wanna know what's going on," he nearly pouted. Sometimes, I swear my cousin was still only about ten years old. What Rosalie saw in him, I'd never know. Or I'd never want to know.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything to anyone, especially not to Rose or Alice," I bargained. Jasper already knew-though, he'd figured it out on his own-so it was only fair to tell Emmett.

"I kept it a secret from Rose that I was gonna pop the question for months, so I think I can keep whatever bullshit you're up to secret," he slurred slightly. I wasn't so sure that I could trust drunk Emmett with this, but he'd be far away from Rose tonight, so he'd have time to sober up before he was around anyone he'd be tempted to share secrets with.

"I'm gonna ask Bella to marry me, so I wanted Charlie's blessing."

It seemed to take Emmett's alcohol addled brain a few moments to fully process that information. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed when all of his synapses had finally fired. "You're gonna make an honest woman out of Baby B? My little Sweet Cheeks. My Sugar Lips. Little Bambi."

His nicknames for Bella were more than a little irritating, so I usually chose to ignore them. I had always been curious about one in particular, though. "How did you even come up with Sugar Lips?"

He chuckled. "We all got really drunk one night, and Alice had the brilliant idea to play Truth or Dare, and Rose dared me to kiss Bella. She had been eating some of those sour straw candies, so she literally had sugar on her lips when I kissed her. It was pretty tasty." He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

I don't know why I even asked. "Rose was okay with this?"

I wasn't looking, but I swear he rolled his eyes. "It was barely a peck on this mouth, very familial. Kinda like you kiss your grandma at a family reunion. It's not like I sat there and made out with Baby B. Plus, Rose was too tipsy to even care. She was the one that had dared me to do it in the first place."

I just shook my head at her and Emmett's shenanigans.

"So when are you planning on asking her? Soon?" He seemed to have sobered up a little bit before asking me.

"I was thinking her birthday," I admitted. "Mom, Alice, and Rose want to plan a birthday party for her at the house, so I figured I could ask her when we got some privacy. My parents have that lit archway in the back yard in the rose garden."

He nodded his approval. "Very nice." He was uncharacteristically quiet for a few moments. "You realize you've known each other for less than a year, right? You've dated for even less."

"I know that, obviously. But I'm crazy about her, Em. She's it for me."

He grinned at me. "You are so fucking whipped."

I shook my head with a slight chuckle. "Don't I know it."

* * *

I woke up earlier than Bella the next day with the intention of getting my mother alone while she was making breakfast in the kitchen. I could immediately hear the sizzle of bacon in a pan just a split second before I could smell it. My stomach gargled, but I had to tamp it down, since I had more serious business to attend to before I was able to eat.

"Good morning, sweetheart," my mother smiled when she saw me enter the kitchen. She quickly poured me a mug of strong coffee and placed it at a spot on the island bar with a bottle of flavored creamer and a ceramic bowl full of sugar. I took my coffee differently depending on what mood I was in or how my day was going to go, so she left me options. If I had time to enjoy my coffee, I added cream and sugar; if I had to drink it on the fly on my drive to work, I only added sugar; if I had to down a cup or two in between patients, I took it black. Today was supposed to be a creamer and sugar kind of day, but I was a little bit nervous about asking my mom this question, so I only bothered with some sugar.

My mother, ever the observant parent, noticed my change in routine immediately. She removed her batch of bacon from the pan before turning off the burning, and then sitting on the stool next to me. She placed her hand over mine in comfort.

What is it, honey? You look a little tense," she observed.

I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face and then through my hair. I wanted to just tell her, but I knew her impending shriek of joy would probably wake the whole house, and that was the last thing that I wanted.

"I'm going to ask you something, but you have to promise to not scream, because I want this between just the two of us. And you have to promise to act casual for the rest of the day."

Her meticulously tweezed eyebrows pulled together in the center. "Edward, whatever you have to ask me can't be that bad."

I shook my head. "Oh, it's actually very good, but I know how you're going to want to react, so you have to promise me to stay calm."

She rolled her eyes now. "Out with it, Edward."

I took a deep breath to center myself. "I wanted to ask you for Grandma Cullen's engagement ring."

She was shocked still for a moment before I could almost see the shrill scream building in her chest, but she let it die, and tears welled into her green eyes instead. I wanted to groan, but I was happy that she had restrained herself.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so glad you finally came to your senses."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" I was really not prepared for that to come out of her mouth.

"I expected you to ask me for it months ago. It's about damn time, boy! I'm not getting any younger."

"Do I have to remind you that Bella and I have only been together for less than a year? That's really soon for normal standards, and you're telling me you expected this earlier? Months ago?" I was more than a little surprised.

"I knew she was the one for you the moment I met her at the bar at that charity gala over Thanksgiving." She brushed me away with a wave of her hand, much the same way Charlie had yesterday.

"I didn't even actually know her, then," I deadpanned.

"Doesn't matter, a mother's instinct is strong."

I sat, flabbergasted at her insistance, but then I thought back on her previous statement. "And what do you mean, you're not getting any younger? You aren't even fifty, yet."

"Yes, but I wanted grandkids yesterday, Edward."

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. "You're still not getting any any time soon. I don't even know if Bella really wants kids, much less in the next few years."

My mother giggled. "I've already spoken to her, Edward. She actually said the same thing about you. But there's no doubt that Bella wants children with you."

I groaned. "Ma, I love you, but you need to stop trying to weasel information out of Bella. We'll figure everything out in due time. I haven't even asked her to marry me yet."

"All I'm saying is that I want babies, Edward."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I know, Ma. We'll talk about it."

* * *

 **So, yeah. Edward is taking leaps and bounds forward. He has a month before he actually asks her, but I promise to pretty much skip to that part next chapter. Another of a bit of a time jump.**

 **Also, Esme really wants those** **grandkids. She is relentless, but I love her.**

 **Story Recommendation:**

 **Watch and See by JiffyKate. Super duper hot, bit of a voyeur Bella, but I love her for it. So much good angst and drama. I read this story in like two days because I just could not get enough of it. I highly recommend it. Link is in my Favorite Stories, as with all the stories I rec.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	32. The One With the Class

**Hello, lovelies! I'm back with the next update. I must say, I'm making pretty good time on these. I'm kind of proud of myself, not gonna lie. Anyway, I won't sleep you too long. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

 **BELLA POV**

 _Late August, 2016_

The last month had been a whirlwind of activity and stress, to say the least. I had been working basically non-stop since the end of Jared's trial, and my schedule was pretty much the exact opposite of Edward's, so we hardly ever saw each other. I had been getting slightly more sleep than I had before the end of the trial, but I was now even more invested in studying for my MCAT, since I would take my test on September tenth, which was now only about two weeks away. To say I was freaking out was a bit of an understatement, but I had Edward to convince me that everything was going to be fine. Whenever we weren't unintentionally avoiding each other, he was helping me study for the biggest test of my career, or he was dealing with his own stuff at the hospital that required his constant attention.

I was eternally grateful that Edward was helping me study for the MCAT, which he himself had only scored one below perfect, but I was missing the emotional connection I was used to having with him. Sure, he was there every once in awhile, and we ate meals together whenever we could, and I'd always fall asleep or wake up to him in the same bed, but it just wasn't the same. I knew that this time in our lives was a little hectic, and once I started classes again in a few days, my hours at the restaurant would calm down, so I'd most likely see more of him. But that didn't mean that I missed my boyfriend, even when he was sitting right next to me, quizzing me on the human anatomy and the cellular processes of liver cells. We hadn't even been intimate with each other since getting back from Seattle a few weeks ago, and that was wearing on me, as well.

Edward had also been acting kind of strangely since we got back, as well, and I was a little concerned about his new behavior. It was never anything big, like he was cutting me out or anything, but he seemed more quiet than usual, and I would always catch him shuffling around in our closet, seemingly with no goal in mind. I had stopped asking him about it after the first time I inquired, and he had said he was just looking for a certain item of clothing he could have sworn he had just seen the other day. He had apparently not found it in the month we had been back, because he was in there at least every couple of days, shuffling through his clothes.

The only reprieve in the craziness of my life was the news of Jared's sentencing. He had a hearing two weeks after his initial conviction to arrange sentencing, and the judge saw to it that Jared would be locked up for several years, and he would never even put his hand on a syringe again. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, with a chance of parole after eleven, and he was barred from ever receiving his medical license in all fifty states and the territories ever again. Jared was officially out of the picture and out of my life.

It was a Thursday evening, only a few days before school started for the fall semester, and I was in the process of getting ready for work, having just gotten out of the shower. I heard the front door open, indicating Edward's arrival home, just before my cell phone began to ring on the nightstand in our bedroom. I wrapped a towel around my body and hustled to answer it before it went to voicemail. I groaned at the sight of Carlie's name flash across the screen, anticipating for her to ask me to stay later than I was scheduled. We were incredibly busy in the summer months, and I usually didn't mind staying, but I was beyond exhausted at this point.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

"Hey, Bella, I was just calling to let you know that you don't need to come in tonight. We have a new hire that we're training today, and it's been kind of slow, so the current staff can handle it."

I forced myself to say my next words. "Are you sure you don't need me to come in, Carlie? I don't mind."

She laughed. "Bella, take the day off. We can manage without you for a night."

We quickly said our goodbyes and I let out a relieved sigh, letting myself fall on the bed. I laid sprawled there for awhile, enjoying the freedom of not having to get ready for work and go deal with customers. It had definitely been a bit of a struggle to adjust to dealing with customers that weren't paying me directly. At the club, I got paid, and then my dues went to mangagement at the end of the night. Here, everything was paid through a machine, and I either gathered my tip at the table, or it got pasted onto my paycheck if it was paid electronically. It wasn't a bad gig, considering I was getting paid above minimum wage, but it still wasn't anything like the possibility of bringing home over a thousand dollars in one night.

In all honesty, I missed dancing immensely. Not only did I miss my customers and the atmosphere in the club, and the camaraderie between dancers, but I missed the act itself. I still went to the gym with Rose when I could to stay in shape, but nothing compared to the workout you got when you carried your body weight up an eight foot pole with more control than most grown men have. Conquering that pole gave you a sense of power and confidence that I couldn't even begin to describe to someone who had never experienced it before.

So, when Rose called me the past weekend sounding more excited than I had ever heard Alice, I was more than a little curious. I waited for her to settle down a little bit so her voice was at a normal decibel and came through clearly on my phone.

"Bella, you won't believe what just happened!" I had never heard her so absolutely giddy, even when Emmett had proposed to her.

"So, why don't you tell me?" I chuckled, her happiness contagious.

"You know how we've always talked about getting a pole for ourselves, for exercise and practice?"

I vaguely remembered the tipsy conversation sometime about a year ago. I answered in the affirmative and waited for her to go on.

"Well, the gym may or may not have put in three poles in what used to be the yoga room. And they may or may not be looking for part time instructors for beginner classes."

"Holy shit, they finally caught on to the 'most strip clubs per capita in the world' thing, huh?"

"Apparently. Anyway, they're looking for two instructors, and I've already applied for the position. You're the best stripper I know, Bella, beside myself, of course." I rolled my eyes in good nature at Rose's self-confidence. "I want you to apply with me. I know your course load is a lot less this year since you only have to take like three classes, so don't even tell me you won't have time."

Quite honestly, I was already formulating a way to balance class, schoolwork, my job at the restaurant, and possibly a new job at the gym. I knew Rose was right about my workload; I only had three classes this year, each semester, and one of them was a seminar class on how to successfully apply to graduate programs or get out in the work force, which required no work outside of the classroom. In all actuality, I would only have two classes to worry about, and I was cutting back my availability at the restaurant to only three nights a week anyway.

"Send me an application."

I heard her squeal, and it was almost to Alice levels. "Yes! I'll forward the email to you, B! This is gonna be so much fun."

After we had hung up, I had a new email from Rose in my inbox and the application was printed and filled out within half an hour. This was one job that I was encouraged to put my time at the club in as past work experience. I dropped it off the next day at the gym while heading over to my shift at work, promising the guy at the front desk that I'd be calling within a week to follow up. I was waiting until Saturday to call, knowing a manager would be there on their busy days during the weekend.

I was still laying on our bed in nothing but my towel when Edward walked in, looking haggard and rumpled in his blue scrubs. He tossed his messenger bag onto the chair in the corner and pulled off his shirt in one fluid motion. He kicked off his shoes before even making a sound or acknowledging my presence. When he was just down to his scrub pants, he flopped down next to me in bed, pulling me into his arms. I welcomed the embrace after such a long time with so little contact, and pressed my nose into his naked shoulder.

I sniffed him but made no move to back away when I said, "You smell like death."

He knew immediately that I didn't mean that he smelled bad, because he definitely smelled as yummy as he always did, but there was a permeating smell of a bad day covering up all the good stuff.

"I lost a patient in the ICU today. She had been recovering from surgery after a car accident. We thought she was almost cleared for a regular recovery room, but she coded just before my attending could come in to clear her. We did compressions for fifteen minutes and three attempts on the paddles before I called it." His short recount of his day was mumbled into the top of my head, and I could feel his lips moving with his words.

I placed soft little kisses to his shoulder and slung my arm across his waist. "I'm sorry, baby," I whispered against his warm skin. "I don't have to work tonight, so do you wanna do something to get your mind off of it?"

He sighed, and I felt the movement against my chest. "Honestly, I want to drink, but I'm pretty sure that's not healthy."

"You had a bad day, you're allowed a few drinks. Do you want to go out somewhere or stay here?"

"I don't think I have anything stronger than wine and some beer," he muttered, almost to himself. Apparently it was a bourbon kind of night. "There's a bar by the hospital that I used to go to; we could go there."

So, that's what we did. I dressed and blow dried my hair while he took a shower. Edward had said it was pretty much just a sports bar, so I just slid on some jeans and a dark blue button up shirt and paired it with my favorite classic Chucks. I was in the process of calling a cab when Edward came out of the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel around his waist. I watched him rummage around for clothes while I waited for someone to take me off hold. For a few moments, I just sat there and admired the way his back muscles clenched and rolled underneath his skin. After being together for so many months, I still could not fathom how lucky I was to call this incredibly attractive man mine. And, even better, I knew his heart and I had that, too.

I continued to watch him get dressed, a lady finally picked up, and it took me all of twenty seconds to get her our address and a time for when the cab was going to be here. We hung up just as Edward finished fastening his dark jeans. I couldn't help but stare at the little indents above his ass, that still had droplets of water in them from his shower, as he made his way into the closet. He emerged a few moments later, pulling an old Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt that fit him like a glove. I could see the pull of his pecs against the material, and if he wasn't in such a down mood, I would have pulled it right back off of him and tugged him into bed.

The door buzzed, indicating that the cab was here, so I quickly gathered my purse and Edward slipped on his shoes, and we headed out. The cab ride there was silent, with Edward just holding my hand in his, his thumb brushing back and forth across my knuckles. I was convinced the gesture was more to sooth him than me at this point.

We spent the night in the bar, Edward starting off with sipping on a glass of bourbon on the rocks, and then switching to shots of whiskey, which was a little concerning. I had never seen him take whiskey shots before, and I knew it was bound to get him a little fucked up. I was able to pretty much flirt my way through not having to show the bartender ID, since his eyes were trained on my cleavage more than my face throughout our little transaction, which Edward lightly growled at, but the bartender was paying little attention to my moping boyfriend. I soothed away his tense demeanor with a soft kiss as the bartender turned away to grab a bottle of beer and pop it open for me.

Hours ticked away, and Edward continued to get more and more drunk as I tried to pace myself, only on my second beer after two hours. People came over to offer their words of apology for Edward's crappy day. Apparently, quite a few of the hospital staff that worked with Edward came to this bar after work. If I ever owned a bar, I would definitely set up shop near a hospital, because you were more than likely to make a killing on a regular basis. Lots of stressed out doctors and nurses looking for a stress reliever at the end of their long rotations.

Finally, when Edward seemed thoroughly knocked off his ass, I settled our tab, dragged him out of the bar, and flagged down a cab. He slumped against me in the cab, lulling between being awake and asleep the entire way back to our apartment. He seemed so much torn up about this patient than he had any other, and I couldn't help but wonder why. He had obviously lost patients before; it was impossible not to in his line of work. But this time had hit him hard for some reason.

As if hearing my thoughts, Edward started mumbling in a low voice. "She looked so much like you. The same mahogany hair and big brown eyes. It was like watching you die, and I couldn't help her." His voice was tight with emotion, like he was holding in tears.

I felt my heart constrict with his words, hurting for him even more than before. No wonder he had such a rough time. I couldn't imagine ever having to treat a patient that looked like him and watch the poor man slip away, unable to do anything to help him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him into me, and I whispered what I hoped with soothing words into his ear. When we arrived, I helped him out of the car, paid the driver, and helped Edward up to our building. He was surprisingly graceful for how drunk he was, but he needed a little assistance being guided where to go, since his eyes were more or less closed the entire time.

When we finally made it up to our apartment, I deposited my purse to the floor and toed off my shoes quickly before escorting Edward to our room. He fell willingly into bed, and I went about pulling his shoes off and stripping him out of his shirt and pants. He snuggled into the covers as soon as I pulled the sheet over him, and then he was out before I even had time to unbutton my shirt.

He slept pretty fitfully through the night, shifting positions about every fifteen minutes or so, causing me to have to shift with him. By about one in the morning, I had had enough of wiggling around him, so I grabbed my pillow and the blanket from the foot of the bed, and stumbled my way into the living room. I made myself comfy on the couch and was out within five minutes.

Sometime later in the night, just as the room started to get grey with the early morning sky began to come alive, I was awoken by Edward's voice frantically calling my name. I startled awake, sitting up on the couch. It took me a second to orient myself, and Edward had called my name another four or five times by the time I was up and off the couch. He sounded almost desperate, and I could pretty much guess what dream he was waking up from to cause such a raw reaction in him.

When I made it back to our bedroom, Edward was sitting up in bed, his knees pulled up to his chest with his head between them, his hands forcefully pulling at his hair. I cursed under my breath and crawled into the bed beside him, wrapping my arms around him.

"Baby, it's okay, I'm right here," I tried to sooth, whispering in his ear. My hand found its way to his hair, prying his hurtful hands away from his head. "Edward, babe, I'm right here."

Calling his name seemed to break him out of whatever funk he had been in, because his head lifted and his hands left their torturous grip on his hair in order to press into my back, squishing our bodies together. His body was shaking and he was sweaty, even with no shirt on and the fan spinning above him. I pressed kisses to the scorching skin at his shoulder, hoping to reassure him that I was there, and I was going to do my best not to go anywhere.

Eventually he calmed enough to relax his body enough to let me pull him back down into bed with me. Edward pulled me close into him, both arms wrapped around me as I used his chest as a pillow. I listened to his heart calm and his breathing even out until I knew he was asleep. Only then did I allow myself to succumb to my exhaustion.

* * *

It took Edward a solid week to bounce back from losing that woman. After the first night, he would wake at some point in a sweaty ball of nerves, shaking and calling out to me. I would coax him down as quickly as possible, and we were usually back asleep within a half an hour. After the first night, luckily, he wasn't as restless, so I stayed with him in the bed, even if it meant I got a little less sleep than usual. I knew he just needed me there more than anything.

By the time I started back at school, I convinced Edward to go talk to someone about his reaction to this woman's death. Even though he was fine during the day, aside from the grey bags under his eyes from sleepless nights, his fears still plagued him. He promised to make an appointment with someone in the psych department whenever he got the chance, and I was appeased for the moment.

The end of the first week of school marked a week until I was scheduled to take my MCAT, and I was more nervous than ever. My only real good news that week was the call I got to offer me the instructor position at the gym alongside Rose. I would start the following week from two to five, teaching two classes back to back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I was able to get my schedule changed at the restaurant to the weekends and an odd day during the week, except for Tuesdays and Thursdays, since I had labs.

Edward felt bad about not being able to help me study for my MCAT much anymore, considering he was on a crazy rotation at work for about the next month. I assured him that it wasn't a big deal, and I was having even my coworkers help me to study when we got a spare moment. I could still tell he was a little down, so I tried to appease him by asking him to study with me one last time the night before my exam, since I knew he had the weekend off.

One day before I was heading out to class, Edward turned over in bed, and caught my hand before I was able to head toward the door. It had been the first night he had been able to sleep without waking up calling for me, and I knew he had had an appointment with a psychiatrist the afternoon before. I was proud of him for going, and I was glad to see just talking to someone that wasn't me was giving him some peace of mind.

"My mom invited us over on Saturday night for dinner. She figured you'd want to relax and unwind after your test." His voice was laden with sleep, and I was relieved to see the lightening of the circles under his eyes. It was amazing what one full night of sleep could do to someone.

"That sounds great, babe, tell her we'll be there." I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his pouted lips, which brought a small smile to his sleepy face.

"Oh, and she said to wear a nice dress." I furrowed my eyebrows, which he couldn't see since his eyes were closed, but he must have sensed it. "I'm not sure why, she didn't explain. I just go along with it at this point."

I couldn't help but chuckle, because no one could really help just doing whatever Esme said. She always got her way. "Okay, I won't ask. I'll be back before you head into work; my lab got canceled today."

He grunted his understanding before falling back into dreamland. I smiled at the peace on his face before I left the room and rushed out of the apartment, not wanting to be late to class.

When I got home in the early afternoon, Edward was awake and in the shower, so I joined him. Needless to say, we got reacquainted with each other's bodies before he went to work.

* * *

At the gym the next day, Rose and I were alone together before our first class. We had our first classes two days prior, and were happy with the results. The people that showed up were fun and eccentric, and there was one lady that reminded me a lot of Renee. We were even more excited of this undertaking, and it felt so good to get back on a pole, even if I was only teaching beginner moves. Rose and I did all the hard stuff before and in between classes. I was a little rusty from a few months of not being at the club, but I was still on par with Rose, who was a little put out by that fact.

We were doing some light pull work, both of us hanging upside down, when Rose started asking about Saturday.

"Did Edward tell you about Esme's dinner invitation?"

"Yeah, he told me yesterday before I left for class. Said Esme demanded we wear nice clothes."

Even though we were hanging upside down by only friction and leg strength, we were both talking in normal voices, no evidence of strain anywhere. This is what years of working as a stripper got you, and I certainly wasn't complaining.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You know how Esme is; any reason to wear a nice dress is a good reason. She likes to think she's a fifties house wife. It suits her."

I couldn't help but chuckle in agreement.

We still had about fifteen minutes before our first class started, so Rose turned on some music, one of my favorite songs by The Weekend, before leaving to run to the little girl's room. I took some time to actually feel the music before dancing to it, my mind drifting off to a time when I was surrounded by adoring men, sultry lighting, and green bills littering the stage. I lost myself in the song. That is, until someone opened the door to the small space. I thought it was Rose, back from her bathroom break, until they seemed to choke on their own saliva, causing them to have some sort of coughing fit.

My eyes flew to the door, my body in the midst of a slow spinning descent toward the floor, one leg outstretched in front of me. I stopped the spinning, my muscles gripping the pole with a vengeance as I stared at the familiar figure in the door.

"Shit," I breathed out, quickly dropping myself into a standing position. I felt his eyes prying, and even though I was in a crop top and a pair of black Spanx shorts, I felt the need to cover up.

"Uh…" Seth mumbled, his mouth dropping open repeatedly, like a fish out of water. "This is not yoga."

I rolled my eyes. "No shit. Yoga is on Tuesdays and Thursdays now, in the other room." I was going to avoid having a conversation about what he just saw at all costs. Seth was a great friend to Edward and I liked him just fine, but this was not something that we needed to talk about. Ever.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Bella." His dark eyes widened in panic.

I sighed. "It's okay, Seth, it's not that big of a deal. It's a public place."

He seemed to relax a little. "Okay, as long as Edward isn't going to kick my ass." I had to chuckle. "Um...if you don't mind me asking, why are you even here? This is a beginners class, right? I mean, what you were just doing doesn't seem very...amateur."

His hesitancy to actually just ask his damn question was actually pretty amusing. There was no harm in telling him anymore, so I was just going to come out and say it. As Edward's best friend at the hospital, I knew I could trust him not to got yapping to everyone at their work that Dr. Cullen's girlfriend was a stripper once upon a time.

"I'm actually the instructor," I told him.

"So, you've taken classes like this before?" The innocence in his eyes was kind of adorable.

I shook my head. "Nah, it's more like on the job training."

I saw the moment realization flashed in his mind. "Oh, shit. Does Edward know?" He seemed a little panicked now.

"I don't work there anymore. This is as close to a club as I get now. And yes, he knows; that's actually how we met."

Seth's eyes widened comically. "Holy shit, you worked at Lucky Devil?" I had obviously found Seth's favorite bad word. I nodded. "Oh, shit. Shit, Edward's going to kick my ass."

"Why would he kick your ass?" I was confused.

"I kinda was a regular at that place. I'm pretty sure I've watched you dance." He whispered the last sentence, and I nearly burst out laughing.

Okay, I totally did.

"Seth, relax. Do you know how many guys have seen me dance? Edward really doesn't care. I mean, if I was regularly taking my top off, it might have been a slight problem, but I like to keep as many clothes on as possible."

Seth was still having a mini panic attack when Rose came back. She raised her eyebrow at the scene in front of her, looking between Seth and I in bewilderment.

"Why is Seth nearly in hysterics?"

I rolled my eyes and recounted the story to her. She took her turn to roll her eyes then, and gently nudged Seth to the side, sitting him down and handing him a bottle of water. By the time he was calm and assured that Edward was not, in fact, going to kick his ass, our class began to trickle in, and he booked it out of there as fast as he could, a last minute apology flung over his shoulder. Rose and I just laughed.

* * *

 _September 10th, 2016_

 _7:00 am_

Today was the day; the biggest and most stressful day of my life. Well, up to this point at least. This test would determine what medical schools I would be able to apply to, and, subsequently, what hospital I would be able to work at. To say I was freaking out would be an understatement.

My test was at eight in the morning at PCU, so I was up within only a few hours of Edward coming home from the hospital, thanks to an unfortunate night on-call, so I snuck out of bed and tossed on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, having showered the evening before in anticipation of having to wake early.

When I got to the kitchen to make myself coffee and scrounge up something to eat before I left, I found that the coffee pot was already full and hot, a mug, spoon, and the container of sugar already set out, and a white paper bag of something that smelled delicious on the counter, a piece of lined paper next to it. I picked up the paper, and couldn't help the smile that threatened to break my face.

It was a note from Edward:

 _Good morning, love._

 _I wanted to make your morning as stress free as possible, so I set the timer on the coffee pot and picked up some breakfast from the donut shop on the corner on my way home. They open at four, so, you're in luck._

 _You're going to do great on your exam. Walk in there and kick some ass._

 _I love you,_

 _Edward_

 _P.S. I scored one below perfect. No pressure ;)_

I couldn't help but chuckle at his shameless cockiness as I poured a thermos full of coffee. I had a good half hour before I had to leave, so I sat at the kitchen table, sipping on my coffee and eating my croissant breakfast sandwich. These things were my absolute favorite, and Edward knew it, and I couldn't love him any more for getting it for me to ease some of my stressing. I had promised myself not to study anymore this morning before heading to the school, but I was itching to look at my flashcards as soon as I woke up. The sandwich and my already-made coffee were enough to distract me.

By the time I was out the door and down on the street, I was in a good mood, and I had a great feeling about the exam today, which was a first. I was going to hang on to it for as long as I could, and it stayed with me until I walked out of the exam room at three-thirty that afternoon.

* * *

Sticking to Esme's dress code, I pulled on a dress Alice had bought me as a pre-birthday present, claiming it would be perfect for tonight, and it would go really well with the black Christian Louboutin pumps she had given me a few years back. I wasn't really sure where she got all this money, but I wasn't really going to complain when she got me all these kick ass presents.

The dress was definitely not my usual style, but it did look pretty great on me. The bright red, fitted material ran all the way to my calves, and the square neckline showed off a bit of cleavage without being ridiculous. The real kicker was the open back, save for the two thin crisscrossing straps near my mid back. The color was a little loud for me, but Alice assured me that it was a night to celebrate my accomplishments, so I should stand out a little. I argued with her, since I hated being the center of attention, but she just forced the dress on me, and I couldn't disagree with her original assessment of how good I would look in it once I looked in the mirror. I had never seen my figure so exaggerated when I was completely clothed.

Edward walked in when I was buckling the small strap on my heels. They were just plain black peep-toe heels with a skinny ankle strap, but the black bow at the back made them a little bit more special than my other heels. Again, Alice was right-they went great with the dress.

His mouth dropped open about the same moment my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. We ogled each other for a solid minute, shamelessly checking out one another.

I had seen Edward in suits before, obviously, but it seemed that this one just fit him so much better than anything I had ever seen before. The charcoal grey suit accentuated his perfect ass and the jacket hugged his shoulders like it was a second skin. I had no doubt that Edward went to fittings for each one of his very expensive, pristinely crafted suits. I did not want to know what he spent on a single suit after fittings and alterations on top of the suit itself.

"Fuck," he breathed out, the same time I whimpered a, "Holy shit." We both chuckled quietly at our declarations before shuffling into each other's waiting arms.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered, almost reverently, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "Remind me to thank Alice." He smirked as I blushed.

"Yeah, well, remind me to thank whoever does the fittings and alterations on your suits," I quipped, running my hands over the soft material of his lapel.

His chest rumbled with his chuckle. "She's a very kind elderly Italian woman named Shelley. She's about five foot even with bright red hair, and she pinches my cheeks every time I come in like a great aunt."

"She sounds great," I smiled.

Edward pressed a light kiss to my lips, trying to not smudge my lipstick over the both of us. That would be a little embarrassing in front of his family. "Are you ready, love?"

I nodded and let him lead me out of our apartment, overnight bags in hand.

* * *

 **A lot of goodies will be in the next chapter, I promise! I had to make you wait a little bit for the good stuff, right? ;D**

 **This story is winding down, for sure, right now, I've got about three more chapters planned, and then an epilogue that may or may not be two parts. I haven't decided yet.**

 **In other news! I am well on my way to getting a new story written. I've already got a few chapters typed up and several more chapters worth of plot planned out, so anticipate the first chapter of that in the next few weeks. I'll post the first chapter before this story is complete.**

 **Time for the Recs:**

 **Loner by Nilla79: very broken OOC Edward who is just too lovable for his own good. Bella is very determined and literally the best thing ever in this. It's heart breaking and I cried a lot while reading it, but it is definitely worth the read. Warning though: there's some pretty touchy material in there, but the author definitely gives fair warning. I thought I'd just say it here, anyway.**

 **As always, please review! I love reading everything you guys say, and it's definitely motivation to keep on writing. So thank you to all who review! Your words mean the world, and I do get a kick out of some of the things you guys say.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	33. The One with the Proposal

**Hello! I'm getting much better at this updating thing, especially since they finally fixed the wifi at school. So, here's the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

 **BELLA POV**

When we arrived at the Cullen's house, there were hardly any cars in the driveway. I knew that Carlisle and Esme parked theirs in the garage, but I had expected to see Em's behemoth of a truck or Jasper's modest little BMW. None of my friends' cars were in sight, though, and when I commented my observation to Edward, he said that we were still kind of early, considering traffic from Portland had been nonexistent, and it was possible they just weren't here yet.

I accepted his explanation, and let him come around to my side of the car to open my door and helped me out. I learned very early on in our relationship that Edward took chivalry very seriously, and he literally pouted the first and only time I ever opened my door by myself. He took my hand and made for the front door, brushing away my reminder to get our bags from the truck, saying he would come out to get them later. He used his free hand to pat all his pockets, which I thought was weird, but he seemed to calm once his hand grazed past the pocket inside his jacket, so I figured he was just searching for his phone. Edward freaked out sometimes when he's left his phone in the car when we've been out places. Something about not being able to reach people in time if something bad happened.

Edward tried the door as we walked up onto the porch to find it locked after jiggling it a few times. I thought this was weird, since the Cullen's front door had never been locked, especially when they were expecting company, but it was entirely possible that someone had absentmindedly locked it on their way in the door. Locking the door at our apartment was second nature to me, and I sometimes couldn't even remember locking it.

Edward reached up onto the sill of the door and procured a spare key, quickly unlocking the door before replacing the key. The house was oddly quiet when we walked into the foyer, except for the soft music playing from the record player in the family room.

"Mom, Dad," Edward called out as he closed the door behind us.

"In the kitchen, sweetie," Esme called back.

Still holding my hand, Edward pulled me to the back of the house where the kitchen was located, and I was immediately assaulted with the sound of several shrill voices as I stepped over the threshold.

"Surprise!"

I jumped into Edward, with an exclaimed, "Holy shit!" and a blush when I realized everyone had heard me. In the kitchen stood my parents, all of my friends, including Angela and Ben and baby Benji, the Cullens, and Seth. Looking back, it's a little sad that those were all of the people I knew, but I didn't mind my small circle of close friends and family.

"Hi! What the fuck?" I wondered to everyone in the room.

"Isabella, watch your mouth!" my father scolded immediately. I blushed again at getting reprimanded by my father, even though I was an adult. Esme still did it to Edward, so I didn't feel that bad.

"We planned a surprise party for your birthday," Esme explained, coming forward to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "And we figured we could celebrate the completion of your MCAT. I stocked up on tequila," she added with a wink. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, thank you." Then I turned on Edward. "You know I hate surprises," I deadpanned.

He smirked and shrugged one shoulder at me. "I know, but you would have turned down a birthday party if I asked, so I figured this was the only way. Your mother agreed."

Speaking of said mother, she came up with my father and enveloped me into a hug. "Happy Birthday, baby. Well, almost, but you have school on your birthday. I'll call you when you actually turn twenty-one."

"Happy Birthday, Bells," Charlie said, gathering me in a quick hug and then shaking hands with Edward. Charlie was never really one for emotional displays of affection. The only time I had ever seen him get slightly emotional was when my acceptance letter from PSU showed up in the mail.

"Thanks, Dad," I muttered.

I was greeted by Alice, Rose, Emmett, and Jasper then, nearly being suffocated by Alice when she hugged me. For being such a small person, she had more strength than most of us could imagine possible. Emmett picked me up and twirled me around, which was a pretty typical greeting from Emmett. Rose kissed me on both cheeks, having obviously already gotten into the liquor cabinet. Jasper gave me a soft hug and a warm smile, never one for PDA except with Alice.

When Ben and Angela came over, I had baby Benji thrust at me, and he stayed in my arms for a majority of the evening, until he fell asleep right before dinner.

Everyone was dressed impeccably, and I'm pretty sure that was the first time I had ever seen Charlie in a suit, except for pictures from when him and Mom got married. Esme was in a very pretty but simple black dress with lace cap sleeves. Alice wore a plum colored, knee-length dress with no sleeves and a subtle v-neck. Rose had toned her usual sexiness down quite a bit in her baby blue, calf-length dress, with diamond cut outs at her sides. Angela wore a very similar dress to Alice's except in black with a jagged hem. Even Renee was in a black and blue lace dress, which was the first dress I had seen her in since Thanksgiving.

For dinner, Esme served homemade lasagna, caesar salad, and garlic bread. We all fit at the massive dining room table the Cullens owned for some reason. I guess they held enough big events that included a lot of people often enough to make the gigantic table useful.

Everyone talked about their jobs and how things were going in their personal lives. Esme and Renee asked about Rose's and my new jobs as the pole dancing instructors, which made Charlie a little uncomfortable and made Seth blush, which I didn't think was really possible with his russet complexion. When Rose saw his reaction, she laughed, but kept her outburst to herself. Edward raised an eyebrow at her and looked between Rose and Seth, and then turned to me with questioning eyes, but I just smiled to brush him off. Luckily, the subject never came up again, and Edward seemed to forget about the little interaction.

After dinner, the men cleared the table while Esme escorted all of the women into the family room, dispersing filled glasses of wine, even to Angela, who had been storing away breast milk so she could drink tonight. We were all talking and laughing about a story Alice was telling about a ditzy girl in one of her classes, when the baby monitor sounded with little Ben's coos and gurgles. I urged Angela to sit back down, and I got up to go to one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor that Benji was sleeping in away from all the commotion downstairs.

I stepped into the room and went to turn on the bedside lamp, so as not to blind his sensitive little eyes. He was wiggling around on the receiving blanket Ang had spread on the bed, the pillows she propped around him keeping him sufficiently contained on the bed. I moved some of the pillows and laid myself down next to my godson, switching off the baby monitor so no one would hear the embarrassing baby talk that was about to ensue.

Brushing the dark, downy hair off his forehead, I leaned in close so that he could actually see me. As soon as my face was in his sight, his little face brightened, and even though I knew it was an involuntary reaction and not actually a smile, I still couldn't help but smiling back. His little hand grabbed at my fingers before sticking them in his mouth.

"Hey, Benji," I cooed, clicking my tongue to get his attention. His little eyes tracked to my face as he kept my fingers in his mouth, sucking away happily. "Did you have a good nap?"

He gurgled at me, like he was actually answering, and I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad. I wish I could get a nap. It's been a long day."

His big brown eyes were locked on mine, like he was really listening, so I kept talking. They said it was good to talk to babies from an early age.

I sighed. "I had to take this really long test today. It's the biggest exam of my life. If I get a good score, I get into good schools so I can be a doctor. I really hope I get that good score. I want to go to a really good medical school."

He tugged my fingers out of his mouth and blew a raspberry at me. I took that as encouragement about my plans.

"Yeah, I hope so, too. I want to be a good doctor. Edward, my boyfriend, is a good doctor, just like his dad and his aunt and uncle. I expect you'll be calling him Uncle Edward for your life. Your mommy is already calling me Auntie Bella. I expect Edward will ba around for a long time."

"Uncle Edward, huh?"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

I peeked over my shoulder to see Edward leaning in the doorway, looking every bit like the model I originally thought he was when we first met. How a man could look so good in a suit and not be gracing the covers of magazines was beyond me.

"Do you plan on breaking up with me?" I asked, one eyebrow raised.

He smirked at me. "No, Bella, I don't."

"Uncle Edward it is, then," I nodded, turning back to look at Benji. He played with my fingers while Edward walked over, slipped off his shoes and laid in the bed on the baby's other side, his head propped up on one elbow.

"I can accept that, since I'll never have nieces and nephews of my own," Edward said.

I nodded in agreement. "One of the downsides of being an only child."

We were silent for a few moments, both of us just watching Benji as he squirmed and made soft little noises, occasionally squealing, which made us both laugh.

"Bella?"

I hummed for him to continue.

"Have you ever thought of having kids?"

I should have been surprised by the topic, but we were sitting with my godson, so I wasn't. Plus, I wouldn't have been surprised if Esme had gotten to him, too.

"Of course. I've always wanted a family. Ideally, I'd like to be done with school, but I know that's going to take a while."

"How come you never talk about it?"

I smirked at him, our eyes meeting. "You freaked out about not wearing a condom one time, even though I'm on birth control. I thought it was a pretty good idea to stay away from the topic."

He pouted slightly, which was incredibly adorable, but also slightly hilarious. He was a grown man, for Christ's sake. "Just because I don't want a baby _now_ doesn't mean I never want one." He paused. "Well, more than one. I hated being an only child."

I nodded. "Me, too. I'd want my children to have siblings."

"My mom has been bugging me about grandchildren." I could see him roll his eyes, even in the dim light.

"She got to you, too, huh?" I chuckled. "I thought I was the only one receiving the harassment."

He rubbed his hand across his face. "Oh, God. She's talking to you about this?"

"I believe her exact words were, 'I will have grandchildren, Isabella Marie.'"

"She middle-named you?"

"She middle-named me," I affirmed.

Benji started to get fussy, and his diaper was clean when I checked, so I figured that meant he was ready to eat. I decided it was time to take him downstairs, so I picked him up, where he continued to whimper, and rejoined everyone in the family room, Edward right behind me. I informed Angela that he was hungry, and she moved to go make him a bottle, placing him in his father's arms.

I moved to sit back down to join everyone else, but Edward grabbed ahold of my arm, and leaned in close to whisper in my ear.

"Come with me."

As I gazed in his eyes, I could see that sparkle that I loved so much, and the urge to kiss him until we were both breathless was very strong. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by our family, and it was probably inappropriate, so I nodded instead and took his offered hand.

He led me through the kitchen and out the back door. It was slightly chilly, thanks to the nearing end of summer, but it was barely enough to raise goosebumps on my flesh. I followed Edward's gentle pull toward Esme's beautiful garden, which was still in full bloom, and illuminated in the night by twinkling fairy light interspersed among the plants. There was a lit white archway in the center of a paved path, and though I had seen it before, I had no idea that it was lit at night. It was beautiful out there, and the bright light of the moon added to the magnificence.

There was a small stone bench under the archway, and Edward pulled me to sit down on it next to him. I couldn't help but smile at him, because I was so damn happy in that moment. I had finally finished my MCAT, so that stress was gone, my senior year was going smoothly so far, and I was celebrating my birthday with everyone that was close to me. I was incredibly content, and it was the first time I had felt like that in months. It was definitely something to be happy about.

Edward reached up and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, his smile reflecting mine. Despite his recently busy schedule, I could tell that he was pretty happy, too. But there was a sort of underlying tension in his posture that had been there for the last few weeks. I was hoping whatever was bothering him would go away soon. I wondered if he was still having problems with his nightmares?

"You're so beautiful, Bella," he whispered, grasping my face gently in his hands. He pulled me to him and placed a light kiss on my lips. "I know we haven't been able to spend a whole lot of time together lately because of our schedules, but I'm still so happy to be able to hold you in my arms every night."

I grinned. "Getting a little corny there, Cullen."

He rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Just let me say this. You can call me out for the corniness after."

I laughed and nodded my consent.

"I love you so much, Bella, and I never thought I'd love someone like this after being with them for so little of a time. You're everything to me, and it's almost overwhelming how much I need you in my life. I never want to live without you, Bella. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up to your beautiful eyes every single day for the rest of my life."

I could feel my chest getting tight with the urge to cry at his declaration. I knew exactly where this was going, but I wasn't going to give into my urges until he had asked his question.

He kissed my forehead before sliding off the bench and onto one knee before me, reaching into his jacket to procure a small black velvet box.

 _So that's what he was looking for earlier._

"Isabella Swan, I will love you everyday of forever, and I want to spend forever with having the honor of being called your husband. Will you marry me?"

I finally felt the tears slowly slide down my face as he opened the little box, a beautiful vintage engagement ring glimmering in the twinkling lights of the garden. A small hint of blue flashed, and I recognized my birthstone.

Taking his face in my hands, I pulled him to me and kissed him until we were breathless, like I had wanted to earlier.

"Of course," I whispered against his lips, before pressing my mouth fully against his again. "I'd love to marry you, Edward."

I could feel his lips smile against mine, and a chuckle bubbled up from my throat through my happy tears. Edward laughed too, kissing me one more time before pulling the ring from its little cushion and slipping it onto the fourth finger of my left hand. I couldn't help but admire it, from it's white gold band, to the small diamond in the center, to the small sapphires in the base of the mounting. It was absolutely beautiful, and I loved it.

"It was my grandmother's," Edward commented, taking my hand in his own as he brushed his finger over the ring. "She left it to me in her will. My parents have kept it in a safe until I needed it. My mom about had a heart attack when I asked her for it," he chuckled.

"It's beautiful, Edward," I sighed, and pressed one more kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella."

* * *

Esme obviously knew about our engagement the second we stepped back into the house, so she only teared up as she congratulated us. She gathered Edward and me into a hug. "Welcome to the family, Bella."

My mother and Alice squealed when they saw the ring on my finger, immediately rushing me with a hug and asking about how he asked. When I told them, they squealed again to Edward about how romantic he was, and then they were off talking about wedding preparations, that I couldn't even be bothered with, honestly. I was just happy to be engaged.

Carlisle gathered me in a hug and kissed me on the cheek before hugging Edward, whispering something into his ear before he released his son. Edward just nodded and rolled his eyes back at his dad, a small smile playing at his lips. I'd have to ask him about that later.

Angela was appropriately happy and hugged both Edward and I in congratulations, Ben followed right behind her. Jasper and Emmett, obviously knew, because they both just clapped Edward on the shoulder with smug smiles on their faces.

Rose hugged me tightly and beamed, looking over my engagement ring with the scrutiny of an appraiser. She finally nodded. "Very nice, Edward. I know it's an heirloom, but it's perfect for Bella."

The last one to approach us was Charlie, who smiled at me and shook Edward's hand, giving a soft, "Congratulations, son," before gathering me in a soft hug.  
"I'm happy for you, Bells," he gruffed in my ear before he released me. I could have sworn I saw a hint of tears in his eyes when he pulled back, but the glazed look was gone just as quickly as it had come.

"You knew?" I asked, noticing his lack of surprise at the announcement.

He nodded. "Edward asked for my blessing at that ball game he took me to."

I turned to Edward, my eyebrows pulled together in question. "You were supposed to take Seth to that game."

He shrugged. "As soon as you gave them to me, I knew who was getting the fourth ticket. I needed to talk to your dad, and I figured buttering him up with a baseball game would provide for a better outcome."

I shook my head, but pulled him into a hug. Could he be any more perfect?

Before anyone turned in that night, Alice insisted upon congratulatory drinks, pouring shots for everyone. She raised her glass in the air, somehow not spilling any of the precariously placed liquid.

"To Edward and Bella on their engagement and the prospect of spending the rest of their lives together. Maybe now with two of the three couples engaged, _someone_ will get a clue," she muttered, shooting a pointed look at Jasper, who blushed and shrugged apologetically. Everyone laughed before throwing the shot of whiskey back. Dark liquids weren't exactly my favorite, but I could tolerate high quality stuff, and the Cullens didn't own anything but the best.

Everyone was staying at Carlisle and Esme's, since we were all sufficiently drunk, and had no business travelling anywhere when the Cullens had enough space for everyone. Ben and Angela stayed in the one guest bedroom on the first floor so they'd have easier access to the kitchen when Benji needed a bottle in the middle of the night. The rest of us split up among the remaining bedrooms, Edward and I sleeping in his childhood room.

We showered together before bed, softly caressing each other and placing soft kisses against each other's skin. I couldn't keep my hands off of him, relishing the heat emanating from his body and finally being with him after all these weeks barely seeing each other due to our hectic schedules.

Edward carried me to his bed, laying me gently over the covers before making love to me tenderly before we both fell asleep.

I had never been more happy in my life.

* * *

 _October 12th, 2016_

Wednesday afternoon, I rushed home from school, thankful for the sole class I had that day. Edward had a rare day off, and he was at home, waiting for me to come back. Today was the release date of my score for my MCAT, and I didn't want to look at it until I was with Edward. I hadn't been this anxious in weeks, and the feeling it was creating in my stomach was not a pleasant one. I had been relatively unstressed since my exam, and I was not excited about this feeling of anticipation.

I burst in the door of our apartment, flinging my bag onto the kitchen table and pulling out my laptop in one swift motion. Edward came over and kissed the side of my head as I logged onto the AAMC website. I hesitated as the cursor hovered over the button to view my test score. I was nervous for the outcome. This would determine what medical school I got into, or if I even could get into one at all. I almost didn't want to look. If I didn't do well this time, the soonest I'd be able to take it again was January, and I did not want to wait that long.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lips to my shoulder through my sweater. "You did great, Bella. I know it. Just click on it."

Blowing out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, I finally clicked on the button and almost growled when the page took more than a second to load. When the text finally flickered onto the screen, though, I stopped breathing.

"Holy shit," Edward breathed.

Holy shit was right.

"Babe. That's amazing!" he exclaimed, quickly turning me around to kiss me. I had been frozen up to that point, but I finally loosened up, kissing him back as everything finally hit me.

I had scored a 130. That was only two below a perfect score. I wanted to pass out from the excitement and joy that was coursing through me. Getting engaged had been the best moment of my life, but getting this score was a close second. I'd be able to go anywhere I wanted with an MCAT score like that.

"I mean, I still won, but I'm very proud of you," he commented, a smirk on his face before he pressed a quick kiss to my lips again.

"I would have had to have a perfect score to beat you! That's not fair," I laughed. I was too giddy to even pretend to mind his competitiveness.

He shrugged. "Whatever." He pulled me into his chest and rested his chin on top of my head. "We should go out and celebrate tonight after your class at the gym."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Dinner? They opened up that new Thai place down the street."

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

 **So, what did you think? Did i do B & E justice with the proposal? Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Obviously, the story is winding down. I'm anticipating maybe two more chapters, but it's possible that it will only be one. Just depends on how much detail goes into it. There will definitely be an epilogue, but I still have not decided if it'll be one or two parts yet. I'll figure it out once I start writing it. I'm just tying up loose ends at this point.**

 **Also, I will begin to publish my new story. I have three chapters written already, but they are very long. Like 25 pages on a word document long. I'm not sure if I should do long chapters like that. I'd really like to get some feedback. Do you guys like longer chapters with more time between updates, or did you like the 5k-8k word chapters with basically weekly updates of this story? Let me know!**

 **I will be back next week with the (most likely) last chapter.**

 **Story Rec:**

 **Reason For Living by RobzBeanie.** Bella is tortured by her past an living alone, secluded from the rest of society. Edward stumbles into her life, wounded and running from the law. They face a lot of problems together and it's an excellent take on the dynamics between E  & B. So good 10/10 would recommend. There is a companion piece in Edward's POV that is just as wonderful. I would read Reason for Living first, though.

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	34. The One with the Plans

**Hello! I was so excited to get this guys out to you that I finished it in, like, three days. I feel accomplished, not gonna lie.**

 **Onward!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

 **BELLA POV**

 _Late October 2016_

I sat on the couch, my computer on the coffee table, open with several tabs, including downloads sent via email from some of my past professors and my research lab instructor. Staring at the computer screen for hours was making my eyes feel funny, so I rubbed my hand across them, thankful for the lack of makeup on this lazy Sunday. I had spent the previous day doing the same thing, except I had done it after spending four hours in the lab checking on my cultures, so I had been beyond exhausted.

Today, this had been my only responsibility, besides catching up on my recordings on the DVR. I had been missing the new season of Grey's, but I had a whole slew of them cached on the TV, so I was taking the opportunity to stare at my computer in defeat when the episode got slow or I had to wait for the damn thing to load.

It was already the mid afternoon, so it was only a matter of time before Edward came back. He had been working for thirty-six hours, so he'd probably want a nap when he got home, but he'd try to stay awake until a decent time to actually crash for the night. He had the next two days off, luckily, but I was in the midst of midterms, so I wouldn't be spending a lot of time with him, unfortunately. Since getting engaged, we'd barely seen each other beyond waking up or going to bed. We hardly had a day off together. We were just trying to figure out how to keep it together long enough for him to finish his residency and for my graduation to come around.

We had talked about getting married some time in the summer before I started medical school. He'd be able to actually take a few weeks of vacation at that point in order for us to go on a honeymoon, so it seemed like the most practical time. It would be the last little bit of peace we'd be able to get before our lives became even more hectic than it already was, which was hard to imagine being possible.

Meanwhile, I was in the middle of trying to figure out where to apply for medical school. I had obviously already applied to OHSU, since it was close by, and I was almost absolutely guaranteed that I would be accepted. I had also applied to UDub, reasoning with myself that I could crash at Angela's during the week and come back home on the weekends if I got accepted and decided to attend there. I was trying to decide whether or not I should apply to Stanford and George Washington in D.C., but I had to talk to Edward. I wasn't sure what the distant would do to us so soon after getting married, and I couldn't just ask him to uproot his life and move across the country with me just so I could go to school. We just hadn't had time to talk about it all.

I was fast forwarding through some commercials when the front door opened and the sound of keys and a wallet being dropped into a ceramic bowl alerted me to Edward's arrival home. I turned to look over the couch, and smiled when I saw him grinning tiredly at me. Still dressed in his scrubs, he dropped the backpack he took to work with him by the front door and kicked off his shoes with a sigh. He ambled over to the living room and rounded the couch, throwing his tired body along the length of it, his head laying in my lap. My fingers instantly moved to his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp and smiling at the satisfied little rumble that emanated from his chest.

I leaned down and dropped a quick kiss to his pouty lips, my fingers never leaving his hair. "Hey, babe. How was work?"

He sighed, his eyes finally opening to meet mine. "It was relatively uneventful, despite me being there for over a day. Lots of broken bones, but nothing catastrophic. It's getting too cold for people to be out doing dumb shit."

Edward had been doing rounds for orthopedics these past two weeks. This weekend, he'd get to move onto pediatrics, which was obviously his favorite. Edward had expressed his discomfort about hearing people's bones scraping past each other when they had to be set, and he always dreaded being on the orthopedics attending's service.

"Just a few more days, Edward," I assured him. He nodded, his eyes first drifting to the TV and giving me a playful eye roll at the binging I had been doing, and then to my computer, which was open on my application to UDub.

"Have you thought of anywhere else to apply?"

I took a deep breath. I didn't want to have this conversation right now, since he was exhausted for his thirty-six hour shift, and I didn't want to dump all this one him five minutes after walking through the door. But, my hesitance to answer only piqued his curiosity, and he wouldn't relent on the subject.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, angel. What's wrong?" The concern etched across his face nearly broke my heart.

I sighed. "It's nothing, really. I know where I want to apply, they're just so far away."

"Like where?"

"Stanford. George Washington." I had more in mind as possibilities, but those two were my main goals.

"So, apply. They'd accept you in a heartbeat." There was confusion on his face, apparently not understanding my uncertainty.

"Stanford is in California and GWU is all the way in D.C. Don't you think that's a little impractical?"

His eyebrows furrowed in the center. "Your education isn't impractical, Bella. You deserve the best this country has to offer."

"I just mean the distance. I mean, Stanford isn't terribly far, but GWU is on the other side of the country."

"I understand wanting to be close to your family, but you'd still see them on holidays. Flying back for a week isn't a hard feat to accomplish every couple months."

"Edward, I can't do every couple of months. I can do that with my family for a couple of years, sure, but what about you?"

The furrow deepened and his head tilted to the side like a confused puppy. "What about me?"

"Edward, I don't like the idea of living away from my new husband for a majority of the year for four years, possibly more. That doesn't exactly sit well with me."

Some sort of realization dawned across his face, finally. I knew he was tired, but I didn't think Edward could ever be that dense. He was a doctor, for Christ's sake!

 _He's also a man. Men tend to be a little dense, more often than not._

 _True._

"Bella," he cooed. He moved to sit up and sat on the couch beside me, and he took my hands in his, running his thumbs over the knuckles soothingly. "Angel, I have no intention of being away from you for any unnecessary amount of time. That means even during med school. I'm going with you, no matter what."

It was my turn to be confused. "What? Edward, you can't do that for me. You have a life and a job here. Your family's all here."

"My life is you, Bella." He brought both my hands up, kissing the backs of them one at a time. "You're going to be my wife, angel. I will do anything for you, even moving across the country, if it comes to it. By our wedding, my residency will be over, and I'm going to be getting offers from all over for jobs. Why couldn't I accept a position wherever you are? I'll have at least four years to get myself established, more if you decide to live there permanently."

I softened at his words, but I was still slightly concerned. "This all concerns you, too. I can't be the only one making the decisions."

"I'm happy with whatever you decide. Besides, I'm able to work anywhere. People will always need doctors, no matter where we end up. You'll have made a decision on school before I even have to consider job offers. It'll work out."

I sighed. "I just don't want you uprooting your whole life just so I can go to school."

"It's our life, Bella. I want to be with you, no matter what. I'll follow you wherever. I want to do whatever I can for you." His eyes were pleading with me, the perfect emerald color searching into my soul. "Let me do this for you, Bella. I want to do this."

There was no holding back the tears that sprung to my eyes. "Okay, Edward."

* * *

 _November 2016_

There was a knock at the dressing room door. "Bella! I have your dress," Alice's voice tittered from the other side of the door.

"You can come in, Ali."

Alice stepped in, carrying a garment bag and a pair of black slingback heels, dressed in a robe the boutique provided. She hung the garment bag on the provided hooks and set the shoes down. She pulled the sultry, maroon red dress out of the bag and sighed as she looked at it. Alice had fallen in love with these dresses the second she set her eyes on them two months ago. She nearly looked at the dresses the way she looked at Jasper, and that was just a touch concerning. Jasper just took her love for clothes in stride, though, bless his heart. They really were perfect together.

We were at our final fitting for the bridesmaid's dresses for Rose's wedding. We were already a week until Thanksgiving, and Rose was a little on edge because he wedding was in about a month. Luckily, the last fitting for her gown had been a month ago, and everything was perfect, so that calmed her a bit. But she was nearly as high strung about our dresses as she had been about hers. I had tried to assure her on several occasions that everything was going to be fine, despite the nearing date, but it had taken a few glasses of wine last weekend to actually get her to settle down.

Alice, Angela, and I were currently in the boutique trying on our dresses after the last time they'd been altered. Kate, Rose's sister, had her dress sent to a sister store in California so she could finish alterations before showing up in Oregon the week of Rose's wedding. Being able to send the dress to her sister had also taken a little bit of stress off her shoulders.

Our dresses were all the same: long, a-line, tulle draped skirts with crisscross, bandage bodices, sweetheart necklines, and straps that sat across our biceps. They were all in that marsala color Rose had picked. Seriously, it just looked like maroon, to me, but this was her wedding, so whatever. Edward and I hadn't picked colors yet, but I knew it was going to be a regular color; not marsala or merlot or anything else ridiculously named.

Alice danced out of the dressing room to allow me to get dressed. The gown slipped on easily after the last alterations had been done. No one else had a problem, besides fixing the length so it would cover to the edge of our shoes. But, damn my proportions, because my waist was small compared to my bust, and there had been way too much material in the waist to accommodate my breasts. The seamstress had to take in a few inches in order to get the dress to fit properly, which had added to Rose's stress. It had been a feat to calm her down after that little debacle. I wasn't saying my best friend was a bridezilla, but she definitely had minor breakdowns every once in awhile.

Once I was dressed and had my shoes on, I joined Rose, Angela, and Alice in the area outside the dressing rooms. We all looked pretty damned good in our dresses, if I do say so myself, and I was actually digging the color against all of our complexions. Rose clapped and beamed, a squeal nearly making it out of her mouth.

"Yes! They look so good! They're perfect."

I think we all breathed a sigh of relief at being able to cross this thing off of the bride's list.

* * *

 _December 2016_

The week leading up to Rose's nuptials was hectic, to say the least. There was last minute preparations being done, like place settings at the reception, and making sure the photographer was going to be able to make it. Along with all that, we were having Rose's bridal shower and the bachelorette party this week, and the guys were doing all their stuff with Emmett. Even though it was completely cliche, Emmett insisted that they go barhopping and then to a strip club for his bachelor party. Everyone else had complained profusely, from what I heard, but Em was adamant about getting this one last night. Like his soon-to-be wife didn't strip for a living.

Amidst all the wedding stuff and the running around town and the trips back and forth from the airport in order to get relatives that had flown in for the wedding, Edward and I saw each other more in that week than we had since our engagement. He had taken the week off of work in order to be here for his cousin, and I was definitely reaping the benefits when one of us wasn't scurrying around, trying to calm Rose, who was running around town like a chicken with its head cut off. Luckily, I had only had two finals before Christmas break, and those had both been over with on Monday, so the rest of the week was school-free.

When we weren't at the mercy of Rose and her tyrannical ways, Edward and I were able to go out and be together. We went to a tree lighting ceremony in the park and drank hot chocolate as we listened to carolers sing. Edward sang the words quietly to me, my back pressed to his chest, snuggling me into him. It was the most serene I had felt in a long time, and it was a perfect night. We had also been able to go to the restaurant I worked at to actually have dinner. I had worked there for nearly six months, and I had never eaten any of the food I took out to customers on a daily basis. Now, when I actually suggested a meal to patrons, my high opinion of a dish could actually be truthful.

I continued to teach the pole dancing class at the gym, but Rose had taken this week and the next week off in order to get through her wedding and honeymoon. I didn't mind being in there alone with the ten to twelve ladies that showed up to each class. I had actually gotten to know a few of them pretty well, and I always made a point to ask about their families or how the progress on their new fitness regiment was going. Most of the ladies in the class were taking it in order to lose weight in creative ways, but a couple came as a social thing and to feel sexy, which was good for them. There was one girl there, though, that was actually a stripper at a club and came to the class in her free time to work on her tricks, which I was happy to help her with when I had time. I still missed working at the club, and I craved that ignited atmosphere and the heavy bass pounding through my body with each song, but I was glad to not have to dance around naked to make money, too. I loved my time as a sex worker, but I had put it behind me, at this point.

With Rose's wedding at the end of the week, Edward and I started talking more seriously about setting a date and making decisions on some things that could be decided right now. When we sat down, we agreed that June seventeenth was a good day for the ceremony. Having it then would enable us to take our honeymoon before we had to worry about a possible move, when I decided on what school I wanted to go to in the fall. Plus, we'd be able to celebrate Edward's birthday while we were taking our little vacation, which he loved.

We also threw around ideas of where to go for our honeymoon. I had never been out of the country, so I was leaving the knowledge of other countries to Edward, since he had been able to travel a bit when he was younger with his parents on family vacations. Since it was going to be the summer, I had no desire to travel to some beach or exotic paradise. It would be insanely crowded and I didn't even really particularly enjoy beaches on account of my pale skin, how easily I burned, and the copious amounts of sand. Thankfully, Edward wholeheartedly agreed, and we decided somewhere more inland was more our speed. In the end, we chose Europe, since I wanted to see all the ancient architecture, and it had been a dream of mine to visit Britain since I was very young. Edward suggested that we stay in England somewhere, and we could take day trips to the different countries, since they were all easily accessible.

On Friday, Rose had her bridal shower in the afternoon. All her female guests, including her mother, who I had only ever met once in the years that I had known Rose, were in attendance. It was Alice's, Angela's, Kate's and mine's responsibility to keep the gathering moving, so we ran games, announced when food was served, chatted with the guests, and just all around made sure Rose was relaxing on the day before her wedding.

Once everyone had cleared out from the venue Rose had reserved for her shower, Emmett came by and picked her up in order for them to spend some time together before their bachelor and bachelorette parties tonight, since they wouldn't be seeing each other until the three pm ceremony the next day. Us bridesmaids hung back and helped the staff of the venue clean up, and our men helped when they showed up to pick us up.

Kate was married to a man named Garrett, who looked at his wife like she was the only woman that walked this planet. It was adorable to see him dote on her and flirt with her after two kids and ten years of marriage. They had been high school sweethearts and got married during the spring break of their senior year, much to the Hales's chagrin. Rosalie was fine with it, but she said her parents nearly had matching heart attacks. Kate's kids, eight year old Heidi and five year old Riley, were Rose's flower girl and ring bearer, since she didn't know any other children, but also because they were family, and I could tell she truly adored her niece and nephew.

We all went back to Edward's and my apartment after the shower, since we had only a few hours before the bachelorette party began, and we had all agreed to part from here. We sat around getting to know each other a little more, since I had never even met Rose's sister until she flew in for the wedding.

"So, I know you're all in school still, but what is it that you guys want to do once you're done?" Kate asked as she sipped on a glass of wine I had passed out earlier. We were currently sitting in my living room, which happened to just about perfectly accommodate the eight of us, aside from the fact that I was perched in Edward's lap on the loveseat. Not that either of us minded.

"I'm a business major," Alice offered first. "I have an internship lined up with a fashion company this summer in Seattle."

"English," Angela said. "I'm going to finish up my credentials this coming semester while I student teach in a classroom. I want to be a high school teacher."

Ben told her he was also an English major, but he had a minor in business, so he wanted to make his way into a publishing house after graduation. Jasper relayed that he had graduated this past spring and he was currently a PA for the CEO of a big steel manufacturer here in town.

"I'm a biology major," I finally answered. "Pre-med. I'm starting med school in the fall. I intend to be a trauma surgeon when everything's said and done."

Kate nodded, an appreciative look on her face. "Impressive. What about you, Edward? Emmett mentioned something about the medical field. Are you a medical student?"

"No, I'm on my last six months of residency at OHSU. I'll be a pediatric fellow starting in the fall."

Kate nearly spit out the sip of wine she had just taken. "Jesus. You can't be more than twenty-five."

"I turned twenty-five in June," he confirmed.

"Sheesh. Did you finish your AA in high school, or something?"

"No, I skipped two grades. I started college at fifteen, because my birthday is kind of weird."

Kate nodded, seeming to contemplate for a few minutes. "You guys are, like, a complete power couple. You're surreal. Two incredibly good-looking, kind, amazing doctors. They make TV shows about that shit."

Everyone laughed.

* * *

Despite getting completely smashed the night before in a new swanky night club that had just opened up in town, we were all up and in a room provided by the venue by eleven in the morning in order to have the lady that was hired to do our hair and the man that was hired to do our hair. I think Rose purposely planned to have her wedding in the late afternoon so she'd be able to get shitfaced the night before. Smart girl.

Somehow, it turned into gossip hour as we all sat there getting fixed up for the ceremony that was in a couple hours. Somewhere along the way of talking about our significant others, we got to the topic of sex, which I was usually okay with, but this was getting too in depth for my liking. I was currently learning way too much about Emmett and Jasper. Oh, and Ben. And Garrett. The threat of puking in my mouth was imminent.

"Emmett does this amazing thing with his tongue and his fingers at the same time. It's like I'm seeing Jesus when he does it." She swooned a little bit, and I gagged a little bit. The hair lady and the makeup guy laughed and tittered at Rose's admission.

Kate went on to how Garrett was capable of going for hours without stopping, which she claimed as the only reason they didn't have more kids. Alice described her role playing scenarios with Jasper, and how she was especially fond of the naughty student/strict teacher scenario, which made sense with their costume choice for last Halloween. I wasn't as surprised by her fetish, but Angela certainly was a different story.

"Ben and I like to have sex in front of the open windows of our apartment. He convinced me one day that no one would really be able to see us, so we do it quite often now. It's very...freeing."

I nearly spit out the water I had been sipping on, a few drops dribbling out before I could catch them. I had no idea that Angela was even a little bit kinky, much less into exhibitionism. I thought Edward and I were adventurous, but we had certainly never done anything like that. I preferred my sexy times to be completely private, I guess.

After everyone stopped giggling and giving Angela a pat on the back, Kate sobered up and turned to me. "What about you, Bella? You've got a fine specimen as you fiance. Surely you have to get into some pretty good stuff in the bedroom."

I shook my head. "Oh no, I am not joining in this conversation. My bedroom activities are private."

"Except for when you lived with us," Alice muttered.

"Yeah, don't pretend to be all coy about your sex life. I had to buy earplugs to drown the two of you out," Rose huffed.

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I so did not want to talk about this, but it seemed like Rose and Alice weren't giving me much of a choice.

"Oh, tell me about it! You guys were so loud. Did you know you moan like a pornstar?" Alice asked.

"'Oh, Edward!'" Rose moaned obnoxiously. "'Oh, God, harder, Edward. Fuck me!'"

I was pretty sure no amount of makeup that the artist applied would be able to mask my redness in that moment. Angela and Kate were cackling while Rose and Alice were smirking at each other, and the hired help was trying to mask their guffaws behind tight-lipped smiles. I wanted to melt through the floor.

Deciding to pick up my pants and regain some of the control in this little group, I said the only thing that would shut them up.

"Well, when your man gives you eight or nine orgasms every time, you tell me whether you can be quiet or not."

They shut their traps real quick. I just hid a satisfied smirk behind my water bottle.

* * *

Rose's wedding ceremony was beautiful. I felt great walking out in my dress, each one of us looked perfect, and I about cried right alongside Emmett when I saw Rosalie come down the aisle in her gown.

When she had seen the Pnina Tornai gown in the store, she just about called her wedding off to Emmett in order to marry the dress instead. The style of the gown fit perfectly with her December wedding. It was pure white, with a soft mermaid skirt and a beautiful train with lace detailing, and elegant lace sleeves with an open back with lace trim. The neckline revealed a little bit of skin, but the lace of it gave it that elegant feel that I had a feeling even Dr. McCarty wouldn't have a problem with. The silk fit her body like a glove, and the cut of the dress just accentuated Rose's body in the best way. Rose had decided to forego a veil, and instead wore a lacey and beaded headband sat amongst her softly curled hair. She looked like an absolute angel coming down that aisle.

Emmett was wiping away tears with a tissue offered by Edward within two seconds of his soon-to-be bride stepping into the room.

Being that this was Emmett and Rose's wedding, the ceremony was short and sweet and to the point. Rose had always hated long drawn out ceremonies, and Em's attention span wasn't exactly conducive to more than a half hour of standing around and doing a whole lot of nothing. So, within half an hour of Rose walking in, we were all walking back out, being photographed and saying hello to the people in attendance.

There was a quick photo session outside the venue, and we were lucky enough that there had been a fresh snowfall over night, so the wooded background was overlaid with a white blanket on the ground. It couldn't have been more perfect for my best friend's wedding.

At the reception, both Edward and I had given obligatory speeches as the best man and maid of honor, and I was glad not to have stumbled all over my words. Edward, of course, was used to speaking in front of people, since his job pretty much required it. Guess I'd have to get used to talking in front of crowds, too.

Like all parties that happened within our friendship group, we drank way too much and we danced way too hard. We were able to get in greetings and a little bit of mingling before any of us were truly drunk, so it wasn't a total disaster, especially where Emmett's mother was concerned. She actually looked happy for once, and she hugged both her son and Rose in congratulations, which surprised both of them, to say the least. The rest of us were just as stunned.

And just like every other party that Esme attended, she got just a little too tipsy and yapped mine and Edward's ears off about how much she wanted grandchildren and how she fully anticipated them within, at most, two years after Edward and I were married. I just laughed and promised her we would work on it eventually, and that seemed to tide her over.

Edward and I didn't get a chance to be even remotely alone until he dragged me to the dance floor when a slower dance came on. He pulled me close into his arms, and I watched him as he smiled down at me.

"Has this given you any inspiration for our wedding?" he asked.

The venue Rose had chosen for both her ceremony and reception were beautiful, but they were a little too contemporary for my tastes.

"It's beautiful, but I think I want something a little more cozy. All the clean lines and crisp white are perfect for Rose, but they're not exactly my taste."

He grinned at me softly. "I was actually thinking the same thing. Maybe something rustic, then? It will be in the summer."

I hummed. "Yeah, I think I like the idea of having a small, intimate wedding in nature. Maybe in your parents backyard, if they'd be so kind."

He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "Well, it is the place that I proposed to you. And I first asked you to be mine in that house. It seems only appropriate that we get married there, too."

I couldn't keep the grin off my face. "Perfect."

* * *

 **So, there will be one more actual chapter, since there are some tiny details that I need to wrap up. Obviously, B & E's wedding needs to be throw in there somewhere, too. I anticipate it will be up next weekend, unless I am procrastinating school so hard that I get another chapter written as quickly as I did this one.**

 **With what I have planned for the epilogue, it will more than likely be two parts, so there's that, too.**

 **As always, please leave me some reviews. I love reading everything you guys have to tell me. It always makes me smile to see you have left me cute little blurbs or some hilarious comment about one of the characters. I love it.**

 **Oh, and I've also posted the first chapter of my new story, Anything Could Happen. The second chapter should be up later today or tomorrow.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	35. The One with the End

**Hello! So sorry about the slight delay, but I've had a hell of a few weeks. This semester is kicking my ass and I;m not even two months in. I just wanna hide in a cave on some remote island and never emerge. But, I have to do this awful thing called "getting an education" because I want to "do something with my life." Sucks, I know.**

 **Anyway, here is the last actual chapter of this story. This covers quite a large timespan, but I'm really just tying up this part of their lives. I will be back in a week or two with an epilogue, promise.**

 **Enjoy :)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

 **BELLA POV**

 _Christmas Day, 2016_

Edward's arm snaked around my waist before pulling me closer to him, his chest pressed to my back. He was incredibly warm in the chilly winter air that had seeped into our room, and I pressed my body further into his, relishing his body heat. I felt his nose nuzzle into my hair for a moment before his lips skimmed over my neck, giving me goosebumps.

"Merry Christmas, gorgeous," he whispered, his kisses growing progressively less chaste as his tongue made contact with my flesh. I could feel my body start to wake up, already reacting to his suggestive gestures.

I sighed in contentment. "Merry Christmas, Edward." My greeting turned into a gasp as his teeth nipped at my shoulder, and then his tongue poked out to sooth over the pinches.

The hand that had been thrown across my waist had found its way under my shirt and to my breasts, kneading and plucking at my already aroused nipples. I could feel Edward's hard cock pressing into my ass, his hips ever so slowly grinding into me. His lips had found their way back up my neck and were currently pulling at my earlobe. I could feel moisture pooling between my thighs, making the once cold room warm up about ten degrees. I could feel the flush across my skin, burning across my cheeks, all the way down to my chest.

Edward carefully maneuvered us so that I was on my back and he was hovering over me. He wasted no time in lifting my shirt over my head and peeling off my panties, tossing them somewhere in the room. He peppered kisses down my neck and across my shoulders before eventually taking my nipples into his mouth, making me squirm underneath him. He had rid himself of his boxers at some point while I was distracted, because I could feel the tip of his cock brushing against my slick heat, causing me to whimper. Edward swallowed the sounds with his mouth over mine, slowly pushing into me. We both swore as his hips sat flush against mine, revelling in the closeness for just a moment before he was sliding in and out of me, picking up speed with every passing minute.

His lips never left my skin, licking and sucking wherever he could reach. I was sure to have a few marks in the places that he had lingered a little too long, but I couldn't care, even on the day when I was going to be seeing all of my family. I could always just ask Rose to help me cover them up if they were in any obvious places.

Edward became more vocal when I ran my fingers through his hair and raked my nails down his back. He growled into my skin when I lightly tugged on the hair at the nape of his neck. The pace of his hips sped up, the sound of our skin slapping together in the quiet room more audible. He was getting close, and he kneeled, sitting back on his heels, drawing my hips up to meet his thrusts. He was pressing hard against that amazing spot inside of me, and he knew it by the smirk on his face. It faded in an instant, though, when I clenched my inner muscles around him. His brows were pinched together in focus, trying to last long enough for us both to cum together. He didn't have to hold out long, as my orgasm barreled through my not fifteen seconds later. I screamed his name and a few curse words, hardly feeling his release through the intensity of my own.

Edward pulled out of me and dropped back to the bed beside me, gathering me to his chest and placing a kiss on the top of my head. We waited until our breathing was somewhat back to normal before attempting to speak.

"Best way to wake up on Christmas," he declared.

I chuckled and pressed a wet kiss to his chest. "I agree."

* * *

By mid-morning, Edward and I were dressed and I was laying out all the food that I had prepared. Edward and I offered up our apartment for Christmas this year, since our parents said they felt bad making all of us drive out to Seattle for every occasion. I was fine with hosting, but that also meant that I had to make a majority of the meal. We were doing brunch, so I had biscuits and gravy, pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon all prepared. Rose offered to bring candied yams and Alice said she'd provide the eggnog, hot chocolate, and alcohol. My parents offered to bring ham, since my dad had some sort obsession with honey baked ham. Esme had kindly offered to come over early and help me cook, but I had declined, so she settled with bringing board games that we could play when we were done eating.

I was frying the last of the bacon when I felt Edward's arms wrap around my waist and his chest pushed up against my back. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head before his lips descended and starting roaming up and down my neck. He pulled aside the collar of the sweater dress that I was wearing in order to bite and lick at my shoulder. Despite his warm breath fanning across my skin, my flesh broke out in goosebumps.

"We don't have time to start anything right now," I protested, throwing my body back into his in an attempt to get him to release me. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly have the desired effect, because my ass rubbed against his groin, which was already in a state of semi-arousal. Edward groaned against my skin.

"No one's going to be here for another half an hour," he argued, his lips wrapping around my earlobe.

"I'm cooking still!"

"I didn't say you had to move from the stove." He was now pumping his hips slowly against me, his cock now fully erect. I could feel the outline of him even through his jeans.

I was about to protest again, but Edward's hand came up and cupped my breast, kneading it as he trailed his tongue down my neck. There was no going back, now.

"Fuck," I swore under my breath. "Fine, but we're going to have to be quick."

I felt his smile against my skin, and in a matter of a second, his hands were pushing up the hem of my dress and pulling down the pair of tights I wore. Edward dropped down to his knees and pulled my hips back, startling me and nearly causing my to splash grease on myself. I had a scold ready on my lips, but it was dashed when his tongue flicked out to my clit. Instead of the caution I was planning to give him, I moaned instead, bracing my hands on the counter as I pushed my hips back to meet his lips.

Still sensitive from our morning, I was cumming within minutes, my knees nearly buckling from the pleasure. Edward was quick to catch my hips, though, and his cock was in me before I had much time to come down from my orgasm. True to his promise, both Edward and I were cumming together in another few minutes, his arms secured around my chest to prevent me from falling as he shuddered out the end of his orgasm. He turned my head gently with a finger under my chin and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. He had us both completely dressed in a few seconds, a satisfied smirk on his face as he told me he loved me.

I returned the sentiment before turning back to my all but abandoned bacon.

"You made me overcook the bacon!" I shouted to him as he flipped through the channels on the TV.

"Your dad likes it crispy, it'll be fine," he assured.

I just grumbled under my breath.

Bacon ruiner.

* * *

Ten minutes after our little kitchen rendezvous, the doorbell rang. I moved to get it, since I had just finished placing all the food out on the counter. I greeted my parents and Edward's, hugging and kissing cheeks as they all filed into my home. I took the ham from my mom and Edward helped his mom put down the board games. Within five minutes of their arrival, Em, Rose, Alice, and Jasper were knocking on my door. I quickly greeted them and accepted the food and drink offerings, placing them in the appropriate spots in the kitchen.

Alice followed me into the kitchen, helping me get out plates and utensils, beaming the entire time. I just thought it was normal Alice, especially since it was Christmas and she was big into the holidays, until I saw the spark of light as she moved around the room.

"Mary Alice," I scolded, my hands poised on my hips. She stopped and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, a slight grin curling her lips.

"Yes, Bella, dear?"

"Why didn't you tell me you got engaged?"

"Because I was wondering how long it would take you to notice," she giggled. "Jasper bet it would take you until we ate, but I told him you're more observant than that. Jas!" she shouted in the direction of her now-fiance, who was sitting on the couch beside Edward and Emmett. When he looked up at her, she continued. "You owe me twenty bucks."

He sighed, but beamed at her all the same.

"Why do you owe her twenty bucks?" Em asked.

"Because I bet her that Bella wouldn't notice the ring on her finger until we ate, but evidently, Bella's already noticed."

"Ring?" Em questioned, just as Rose bounced over to where Alice and I were in the kitchen, squealing slightly. I was convinced that marriage had made Rose go soft. And it had only been just over a week.

As soon as everyone realized what was happening, Alice was smothered in hugs and congratulations, and I saw Em and Edward clapped a hand on Jasper's shoulder. Probably for finally popping the question. There's nothing like being the last one into the party.

Sitting down to eat, Alice described how Jasper had proposed at midnight the previous night, after Emmett and Rose had gone to sleep. Alice and Jasper opened their stockings at midnight, and when Alice had dumped out her goodies onto her bed, the blue box dropped out. When she picked it up, Jasper was kneeling on the floor next to her. It was pretty damn adorable. But I was curious as to how Rose and Emmett were unable to hear the inevitable squealing that Alice was doing.

Em shrugged, a piece of ham shoved in his mouth. "I figured they were just banging or something. It wouldn't be the first time."

Rose and Esme simultaneously whacked Emmett in the back of the head, and Jasper's ears turned bright red as he ducked into his plate, trying to avoid eye contact. Alice was still beaming with glee, either oblivious to or avoiding the comment Emmett had made.

Alice gushed about getting to plan her wedding for the rest of the day and then turned her sights on me, demanding some answers about what I was doing for mine and Edward's wedding. I honestly didn't give her much else, considering Edward and I hadn't really discussed anything more extensive than color scheme and location. I hadn't even been out to find a dress yet, which was driving Alice nuts. I let her know that I wanted to go to that boutique that Rose had went to for my dresses, which appeased her a little bit. Her and Esme badgered me about figuring something out, and I promised to call them once I had more information to give them.

We played a hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity, which horrified my parents a little bit. Well, my dad at least. Renee and Esme had split two bottles of wine, so they were pretty tipsy and cackling at every card that was read. Emmett was slapped on the head several times for his inappropriate comments about everyone's sex lives, by more than just Rose. Jasper blushed just about every time he had to read out cards, which everyone else found hilarious. Whenever a sexual card popped up, Edward would squeeze my thigh and glance at me out of the corner of his eye. I don't know what was up with his libido lately, and I was thoroughly enjoying it, but I didn't need our parents catching him giving me naughty looks.

After our game of Cards Against Humanity-which I won, thank you very much-we opened presents, since Emmett and Rose were meeting Em's parents to celebrate Christmas. Carlisle played Santa while Esme fluttered around, taking pictures as we all opened our gifts.

Esme and Renee helped me clean the kitchen while everyone else watched A Christmas Story on TV after Rose and Em left. Now both of them were going on and on about my wedding, and Esme expressed so many times how happy she was that we wanted to have our ceremony in her backyard. They were discussing possible flower arrangements, trying to find flowers that wouldn't clash with my colors. At the moment, they were talking about the merits of having green in the bouquet to balance out the lavender of the bridesmaid dresses. I had pretty much stopped trying to give my input about ten minutes into their conversation.

Edward came in and finally rescued me, wrapping his arms around me and escorting me into the living room, where he pulled me into his lap on the recliner. I settled in and watched the remainder of the movie, glad to have my family around me and enjoying the warmth of my fiance's body.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to my temple, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand where they laid together in my lap.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear.

I was extremely content.

* * *

 _March 2017_

Edward had the day off, for once in a blue moon, and was standing in the kitchen, frying up something on the stove when I got home from class. It was finally Friday, and I was done for the week, with nothing to do for the weekend, which was just as rare as Edward having a day off.

"Hey, angel," he greeted, sending me a smile over his shoulder. "Hungry?"

"Starving," I replied, dropping my bag off on the table. "Whatcha making?"

"Chicken quesadillas."

"Sounds delicious. Can you make me one, babe?" I was much to exhausted from my week to make one for myself. A nap was definitely in order once I was done eating. Maybe Edward would join me.

"Already on it. Oh, you have some mail on the counter."

I groaned at the thought of possibly having a bill somewhere in there. I knew my Kohl's credit card was supposed to be paid soon, and I still had a lot of charges on there from Christmas. Darn you Kohl's and your amazing sales. Making me put so much money on my credit card.

Sifting through the mail half-heartedly, I glanced at the name printed on the corner of the second envelope, disregarding the advertisement of the first envelope.

"Fuck," I whispered.

"Just open it, Bella. It'll be like ripping off a bandage," Edward encouraged. He leaned his chin on my shoulder, setting our plates on the counter beside me.

I swallowed and then held my breath as I tore open the envelope. I closed my eyes as I unfolded the paper within, not wanting to look quite yet. Edward must have noticed, because he chuckled and asked, "Would you like me to read it to you?"

I nodded and waited for his smooth voice to possibly crush some of my dreams.

"'Dear Ms. Isabella Swan, we are pleased to inform you that we have reviewed your application and it is with great honor that we offer acceptance as a medical student to our Washington, D.C. campus.'"

The breath I had been holding whooshed out of me as I leaned back into Edward's embrace. I did it. I got accepted into med school. And this was only the first reply that I had received. And it was one of the most prestigious.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Edward whispered, turning me in his arms and planting kisses all over my face. I couldn't help but laugh in joy and at the attention he was giving me. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time we ate, and I even fell asleep with a smile on my face when I cuddled into Edward's side. I was just happy.

A week later, my acceptance came in from Stanford, and two days after that, I got the acceptance from Washington. Now I actually had a decision to make, come the end of April, but it wasn't anything I was really stressing about. I was just glad that I had gotten accepted to all the places I applied.

That Thursday afternoon, between one of my classes and my lab, Alice called and asked if Edward and I would come to dinner with her, Jasper, Em, and Rose the next night. Luckily, Edward had Friday and Saturday off, so I agreed to meet her at a little Greek restaurant on the other side of the Willamette, actually just a block over from the club.

The next evening, Edward and I walked into the restaurant at almost six on the dot, but the rest of our friends were already seated, the waitress handing out menus. She smiled as we joined the table, asking for our drink orders before walking away.

We all caught up after the waitress came back with our drinks and placed our food orders. Rose was getting close to the end of her first year of law school, Emmett had just gotten a pay raise at his engineering firm, Jasper had been promoted at the business he worked for, and Alice was chomping at the bit to graduate, which I knew all too well. Edward told them all about my acceptances to all three schools I applied to, and everyone toasted with their non-alcoholic beverages, since the restaurant didn't serve drinks.

Edward also told them about the end of his residency coming up and putting in applications for hospitals around the areas that I was accepted for med school, and Alice visibly swooned at Edward coming with me wherever I went. Rose roller her eyes, three months of marriage apparently having reversed the softness that had occurred in the first month. But she was happy for us, nonetheless.

Once our food came, the real bomb was dropped. We were just casually eating and commenting on how great the food was to the waitress when Alice cleared her throat.

"I'm really glad we all got to get together, since we haven't spent a whole lot of quality time with each other since New Year's. Jasper and I wanted to tell you something, though."

Jasper grinned and grabbed Alice's hand on the table, and Alice beamed back at him.

"Alice and I are going to have a baby," Jasper practically whispered, obviously trying to be respectful of the other patrons.

We all started cheering our congratulations and making quite the raucous, garnering some glares from people at the tables near us.

"We're due in October right around Halloween," Alice said, after we fired off a couple of questions at the pair.

"Have you had an appointment yet? Have you been taking any prenatal vitamins?" Edward asked, always the diligent doctor.

Alice pulled sonogram pictures out of her purse, placing them in front of the rest of us, and Rose and I gushed over the little beans in the photos.

"And yes, Edward, I've been taking my vitamins. And I have another appointment in a month. And then the month after that I have an appointment to determine the sex." I was surprised she was containing all the squeals I knew were just looming beneath the surface.

Later that evening, when we were all getting ready to leave, standing around outside the restaurant, I wrapped my arms around my best friend.

"I'm so happy for you, Ali," I said, leaning my head on her's. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm actually feeling really good," she sighed. "I'm tired, but the morning sickness hasn't been bad at all. I'm praying it stays that way. I want an easy pregnancy."

I chuckled. "Don't we all?"

She turned to me, her eyes wide, and I realized the mistake I had made. I quickly shook my head, dispelling her suspicions.

"Jesus, no. It was more of a generalized statement." I felt my heart pounding hard in my chest at even the thought that she suspected I could be pregnant.

She pouted. "Dammit. I thought our babies could grow up together."

I laughed. "They will, eventually. Yours just might be a few years older."

"Have you and Edward talked about it at all?"

I looked out to where my gorgeous fiance was standing, joking and laughing with Rose, Em, and Jasper. The smile on his face was something I would never get tired of seeing. I wanted to make him smile every single day for the rest of our lives. I couldn't help the little grin that was tugging at my lips just from looking at him and remembering that he was all mine for the rest of forever.

"Not really," I finally answered. "It'll happen someday, but we're not sure when. Everything will be changing come this summer, so I'm not really sure we'll be ready for any more changes so quickly. I promise your baby will have a friend, though, Ali. One day."

She beamed up at me. "Good. You guys are going to make awesome parents one day."

I grinned back. "So are you and Jas."

"And Rose and Em one day."

I chuckled. "Don't let Rose hear you say that. She'd scream."

I couldn't see it, but I was almost one hundred percent sure she roller her eyes. "They both want babies. I can just tell. Did you see the way Rose's face lit up when we told you guys?"

Rose had looked absolutely gleeful when we all found out. She immediately started gushing about getting to be an aunt again and getting to spend time with him or her when they arrived. I hadn't seen her beam like that since her wedding day. Yeah, she was totally baby crazy, she just wasn't going to admit it to herself. I'm sure she reasoned about it with herself with some stupid nonsense about being too young or what have you. She was just kidding herself.

"I know. She'll be announcing her pregnancy in less than two years. I guarantee it."

"Sure enough."

* * *

 _April 2017_

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Edward?"

He placed his hands on my shoulders in a reassuring gesture and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm sure, baby. I've already got offers from two hospitals over there. Everything is going to work out."

"We'll be away for a while."

"I know, but I'll have you. That's all that matters. And you know we can always come and visit."

I sighed, my cursor hovering over that little button on the computer screen. Just one click, and I'd be sealing my fate and accepting my offer to attend medical school. I was terrified, but at the same time, I was incredibly excited to be starting this new part of my life, especially with the person I loved the most by my side.

"I'm gonna push the damn button for you if you don't," he warned.

I brushed him away and clicked the damn button, finally, and we both breathed out a breath we had apparently been holding together.

"So we better find an apartment, I guess," he muttered after a moment.

"After the wedding. Worry about wedding first, worrying about moving can happen after that," I demanded.

"Excited to be Mrs. Isabella Cullen?" he asked, skimming his lips along my neck, effectively distracting me from the huge decision I had just made.

"Extremely. Excited to be legally obligated to me for the rest of your life?" I joked.

"Extremely," he smiled against my neck. His teeth scraped lightly against my shoulder, making me shudder. "I get to spend the rest of my life with my favorite person."

That conversation quickly dissolved into a round of slow, tender love making in our bed. And then a snack in the kitchen before Edward had to get ready for work. And then an intense session in the shower, my legs wrapped around his waist. And then a pretty intense make out session on his way out the door.

I could get used to this forever business.

* * *

 _June 2017_

Oh, fuck. This was real. I was really getting married. I was standing here, in a gorgeous white wedding dress made by fucking Pnina Tornai, and I was about ten minutes away from walking down the aisle to my best friend. I was on the third floor of Esme and Carlisle's home in a guest bedroom, surrounded by my mother and my bridesmaids. Angela, Rose, and an obviously showing Alice stood behind me in their knee length, sweetheart neckline gowns. The organza material flattered each of them, and even passed Alice's scrupulous list of things she demanded there needed to be for my bridesmaids dresses.

"You look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart," my mother beamed, tears already collecting in her eyes. She needed to cut that shit out before I started crying, too. She brushed her fingers over the lace material that made of the straps that connected my halter to the rest of the dress. "Be glad your father hasn't seen this dress yet," she chuckled.

It showed quite a bit of skin, but it wasn't trashy, which Alice and Rose assured me of over and over again when I first tried it on in the store. I loved it from the minute I put it on, but I just had to make sure no one would be offended when I walked down the aisle in it. The back was completely open and the halter dipped down into quite a low V-neck, but it covered everything necessary. I was hoping Charlie focused more on the fact that I was getting married and not on the skin I was showing. At the very least, the delicate lace detailing would distract him. Hopefully.

"Don't worry, B. I don't think even that prude Dr. McCarty will bat an eye," Rose assured.

"Everything's going to be perfect, Bella," Alice assuaged, rearranging my train for the fifth or sixth time that afternoon. "I made absolutely sure of it."

There was a knock on the door just before Esme's head peeked through, checking to see if we were all decent. The moment her eyes landed on me, she gave me a watery smile. She stepped into the room completely and gathered me into a delicate hug, no doubt trying not to mess up my dress.

"He's going to cry when he sees you. You're gorgeous, Bella." She quickly dabbed away tears that had collected in her eyes. "Goodness. If I'm like this, now, can you imagine what it would have been like if I had a daughter of my own?"

"Tell me about it," Renee muttered, dabbing at her own eyes with a tissue. I wanted to laugh at the both of them, but I was too busy trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

"If you guys mess up your makeup that I worked so hard on, I will be forced to freak out," Rose threatened. She really had done an amazing job on everyone's makeup today, and I had saved money on an artist and a hairdresser, since Ali had done that part for everyone.

"Sorry, sorry," Esme quickly amended, taking a deep breath. "Alright. We're ready for you all. Your dad's at the bottom of the stairs waiting for you, Bella."

This was it. The start of the rest of my life.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I nodded. "Okay, let's do this."

* * *

 _August 2017_

"I'll drop you off on my way to work, angel."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to have to pick me up if you're in the middle of something."

Edward grinned at me. "I can just pawn it off on someone else for fifteen minutes. I'm an attending now. It's my turn to boss around the interns and residents."

I chuckled. "Don't be mean to the newbies, babe. You were one of them a year ago."

He shrugged. "I know. I won't be awful. Thank God I'm not a surgeon."

I scowled at him. "Hey."

His arms were around me, then, crushing our bodies together. "There's nothing wrong with it. I will always support you. But that's a lot of fucking training." He laughed at the displeased look that was still on my face.

I rolled my eyes. "I know that. Now, take me to school. I don't wanna be late on the first day."

He kissed me soundly before gathering our things and ushering us out the door. We had chosen a two bedroom apartment just fifteen minutes from both work and school. Edward and I were renting for a year before we decided to possibly buy a house. We had only been out of Oregon for a month now, and we weren't quite sure if we'd be living here after my four year stint in medical school was over. Time would tell, but I'd really prefer to live on the west coast once everything was said and done.

Edward dropped me off near the entrance to the building where I was supposed to check in for my classes. He leaned over and gave me a chaste kiss and smiled at me when he pulled away. "You're gonna do great. And it's only the first day. You're gonna love it here."

I sighed. "I know, I'm just preparing myself for the long road ahead."

"I'll be right there with you, Bella."

"I know. But you're a fucking genius, so I don't think that's saying much."

He rolled his eyes at me and I chuckled. "Whatever. Go. Text me when you need to be picked up. I love you."

"I love you, too." I leaned over and gave him one last kiss before exiting the car.

I walked through the giant wood doors of the ancient, looming building, trying to pretend that I wasn't completely intimidated by everyone else here. I was dressed in capris and a t-shirt, my hair thrown up in a ponytail, while people were walking around in pressed skirts and slacks, heels and makeup done. I felt totally out of place. Why did I do this, again?

The girl sitting at the table set up in the middle of the foyer greeted me and asked for my name.

"Isabella Cullen."

She glanced through the roster she had in front of her and frowned. "I don't see any Cullen on here."

I nearly smacked myself in the forehead. "Sorry, it's probably under Swan. I got married over the summer."

She perused one more time and smiled. "Found it. I'll make sure we get that changed as soon as possible." She wrote a note in the roster and then handed me a name tag with my maiden name still on it. "I'll get you a new one of those by next meeting, too. I'm really glad to meet you, Isabella. We've heard a lot about you from PSU. You came very highly recommended."

I was a little surprised by that, since I had only asked three of my teachers to write letters of recommendation.

"I'm Heidi, your TA for this seminar. I look forward to getting to work with you."

I smiled. She seemed nice enough, and she didn't look more than two or three years older than me. I hoped we got along. I'd be seeing her a lot, after all. "It's good to meet you. You can call me Bella."

She returned my smile with a genuine one of her own. "Alright. I'll see you in lecture. Welcome to George Washington University, Bella."

* * *

 **So! That is the unofficial end to this Edward and Bella. Of course, I'll be back for the epilogue, because I really can't resist these two. But, I'm very excited about my new story, Anything Could Happen, and I wanna show you guys that Edward and Bella, too.**

 **Thank you for coming on this journey with me. As far as first time stories go for Twilight fanfic, I'm pretty content, but I know I can kick it up a notch, so that's what I intend to do with my next stories. I appreciate each and every one of you who joined me and supported me and reviewed and read every time that I updated. You guys are da homies. You guys gave me motivation to keep going when I was feeling bogged down with everything else in my life. You're the best!**

 **I know there was a lot of skipping around in this chapter, so if you want, I will do outtakes of specific moments if you guys request them. I already have someone asking for an outtake of when Esme and Renee visited Bella at the club, so I will get around to that.**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	36. The One with the Epilogue (Part I)

**Alright, we're finally in the epilogue. This will be the first part, and the second part will be posted next weekend. This one is only a few years in the future, but the next one will be several years after that.**

 **I'll see you guys at the bottom. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

 **EDWARD POV**

 _November 2019_

I was awake at some ungodly hour on a Saturday off, for some reason. Probably from all those days waking up at four in the morning in order to get to the hospital by five-thirty to start rounds and keep an eye on the residents. Two years in and I was still getting all the shitty shifts, but it meant I was home when Bella was done with lectures. Now that she was in her third year, she was starting her clinical hours, and she happened to be in my hospital. Though she was with surgeons all day, I saw her around when she was running around finding attendings for a consult or running information relay for other doctors. She'd be starting her pediatrics rotation next month, so I'd get to see more of her.

My body was pressed snugly into Bella's, sharing our body heat in the late fall weather. It definitely didn't get as cold in D.C as it did in Portland, but it still got down to the mid-forties in the evening. We'd turn the heater on, but Bella enjoyed cuddling in sweaters and snuggling under blankets, so we left it off during the night. I was tempted to wake her up and start off our weekend with no duties besides each other, but I wouldn't subject her to a six a.m wake up call on this rare day off.

I stayed wrapped around her in bed for another half hour or so until I decided it was time to get up and get some things done. I needed to piss and take a shower, so I'd get that done while she was still in bed. We had plans to go out and do something today. We'd lived here for a little over two years now, and we hadn't really even explored the city. We had done obvious things like go to the capitol and a tour through the Smithsonian, but besides touristy things, we hadn't been out. Work and school happened to be pretty demanding. Even though I tried to help Bella with navigating her internship, I knew my experience was a cakewalk compared to her's. There was a reason I didn't want to go into surgery, but I was very proud of her for sticking with her decision.

After I had taken care of business and brushed my teeth, I hopped into the shower, taking the time for once to let the water work out some of the knots in my shoulders. Bella used to offer shoulder massages when I got back from work, but now that she was spending most of her days in the hospital, too, we essentially just fell into bed after dinner. We were both really looking forward to this weekend in order to get some much needed down time and relax a little bit.

My eyes were closed, water flowing over my head, when I heard the glass door of the shower being opened. Squinting open one eye, I saw Bella, naked and her hair a little bit of a mess from sleep, step in and wrap her arms around me. She was still warm from being under the blankets. I pulled her under the spray of water with me and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"What are you doing up, baby?" I asked, watching as her hair got darker as it got drenched with the water.

"You weren't there when I rolled over, and I heard the shower turn on," she explained, barely holding in a yawn. "I decided to come join you."

I brushed her hair back from her face. "You could have stayed in bed, angel. It's early still."

She shrugged and pressed her body closer to mine, causing arousal to shoot through my body, waking me up significantly. My cock was already pressed insistently against her hip. "I know, but it's been awhile since we had some hot shower sex."

Her hand stroked over my back, her nails digging in a little bit, before she moved lower and grabbed my ass, pulling me even more against her. Her breasts were pressed into my chest, and I could feel her hard nipples brushing against my skin with every breath she took. Who was I to deny my wife the hot shower sex she wanted? I was not fool.

I pulled her lips to mine and ran my hands over her body. I turned her around, so her back was pressed to my chest, and I immediately had my hand between her slick folds, noting how wet she already was. My fingers rubbed over her clit, and she moaned, while I pushed her forward to brace her hands on the wall. I had her panting and begging for me to let her cum before I slid my cock into her. I let out a content sigh as I pressed all the way in, glad to finally have some time with my wife for once.

Apparently I was taking too long to start moving, so Bella gave a little huff and thrust her ass back against me. "Fuck me, Edward. I need you, baby."

I didn't have to be told twice.

* * *

Once we were done in the shower, after actually getting around to cleaning, we ate breakfast and got ready for our day out. We had planned to go to some of the parks nearby, and Bella really wanted to go to Madame Tussaud's, so I promised that was on our list of plans today. We both really wanted to visit the Smithsonian again, without the tour guide and mass group of people. Being the complete nerds we are, we wanted to go by the research facilities. We'd have dinner at this little Italian restaurant we both loved before coming back to get ready for a surprise Bella said she had for me. I had been curious for weeks, but any time I asked, she just brushed me off and told me I didn't know the purpose of a surprise.

We took a walk through a park nearby our apartment before she asked if we could visit a botanical garden she had always wanted to see. I readily agreed and we made our way back home to pick up our car before heading over. We spent about two hours in there before going to a deli for lunch and making our way over to the wax museum. Bella was amazed by how well they got all the details, and I had to admit, it was pretty cool. She took some pictures and had a little bit of a moment when she came to the figure of Patrick Dempsey. All these years and she had never given up on her obsession with McDreamy. She had told me that Rose tried to make up her own stupid Grey's doctor name for me when we first met, but a concrete name never came to fruition. Thank God.

The Smithsonian was next, and we took a brief look around some of the exhibits before making it over to the research portion of the institute, completely geeking out over all the machinery they were using. Bella expressed her thoughts of going into research if the hospital route ever stopped appealing to her, but she assured me her love for applicable medicine was alive and well, even after a few months of rotations and grunt work.

We stopped for our dinner before heading back home. Bella told me to put on a dark pair of jeans and a button up shirt before disappearing into the bathroom. I was ready quickly, so I sat and waited in the living room, watching the football game while she got ready. I wasn't quite sure what was taking her so long, but I had learned to not ask questions when it came to a woman's prep for a night out. Alice had reprimanded me enough when they came out to visit over the summer and we all went out. I had just asked when they thought they were going to be ready, and Alice talked my ear off about how it takes time to look perfect and all this other nonsense. I just don't say anything, now.

Luckily, when she was alone, Bella didn't take very long to get ready, so twenty minutes later, she was in the living room with me, wearing a white, very low cut, top, a black mini skirt that hugged the curve of her hips, sheer black tights, a maroon leather jacket, and these pale pink heels that made her legs look forever long. I felt my breathing get labored as Bella went to grab her purse off the table, showing off the roundness of her perfect ass.

"Ready to go, baby?" she asked perkily, flashing me a smile, even though her eyes told me she totally knew what she was doing to me.

"Are you trying to seduce me, gorgeous?" I asked, rising from the couch and wrapping my arms around her. When I looked down at her, I could see straight down the low neckline of her shirt, and there was a peak of black lace. I barely held back a groan.

"Is it working?" she countered, her tone sultry. She gave me a quick, but passionate kiss, before grabbing the car keys off the counter and ushering me out the door.

Bella drove, since I had no idea where we were going. I still had no idea where we were after a twenty minutes drive, until she pulled up and parked outside of a dark building with neon signs out front, advertising for exotic dancers. I raised my eyebrow at her as she took the key out of the ignition.

She giggled. "Come on, it's gonna be fun. I miss being in a club."

I just shrugged and joined her outside of the car, walking with her to the entrance. The bouncer ushered us in after a quick look at our IDs, even though, at twenty-eight, I definitely didn't pass for anything younger than maybe twenty-five. Bella could still probably pull off eighteen, though, which bugged her to know end. People always looked at her skeptically when she gave them her ID at bars, obviously thinking she wasn't the twenty-four years her license displayed.

Bella pulled me straight back to the bar, ordering a glass of bourbon on the rocks for me and a soda for herself, as well as to speak to the manager. I was curious about the manager thing, but when he showed up, I realized it was the man who owned the strip club she used to work at in Portland. They hugged and introductions were made before Bella whispered in his ear, and he gave a nod, handing her something that she pocketed. I had finished my drink during the interaction, so she ordered another for me before grabbing my hand and leading me to another part of the building. We passed by girls in various states of undress, most with tops on, serving customers and giving lap dances, but some of the girls on stage were already topless, smiling for the men who were throwing money on the stages.

We happened onto a hallway and Bella pulled the thing her old boss had given her from her pocket, and I realized it was a key. She opened the door and corralled me inside, shutting and locking the door behind us. The music from the club was streaming through speakers in here, and soft lights light the room and the pole that was in the center. It took me back to when Bella and I had first met, the times I had paid her to dance for only me. We had come a long way since then.

"Sit down, Edward," Bella instructed. I sat in the cushy chair and placed my drink on the little table provided.

"What's going on, baby?" I asked, slightly confused.

Bella smirked at me as she took her jacket off and tossed it to me. "What does it look like I'm doing, Edward?" She pulled her shirt out of her skirt and peeled it off, throwing it onto the seat beside me. I had to swallow my tongue at the black lacy bra she had on that barely covered any of her breast. I could see a hint of her dusty pink nipple popping out of the edge of each cup.

I couldn't help from licking my lips when she slid her skirt down her legs, revealing a matching garter belt and tiny panties. What I had previously thought were tights were actually thigh high stockings, held up by little clips on the garter belt.

Bella chuckled, bringing my eyes back up to hers. "Like what you see, baby?"

"Always," I guaranteed. Bella wouldn't come any closer to me, and my fingers twitched with the need to wrap them around her hips. She hadn't danced in years, but her body was every bit as in shape as it had been when we first met. She was the most gorgeous, sexy woman I had ever met, and I was one lucky bastard to have the honor of calling her my wife. I had seen other interns and doctors looking at her and heard hints of conversations about how hot she was around the hospital all the time. I barely held my tongue any time I heard them, but Bella didn't want us to announce that we were married because she wanted to create her own merritt. We had agreed to tell people we were married if they asked but it didn't have to be common knowledge. You'd figure everyone would have put it together by now given our last names and the rings we always wore, unless Bella was in surgery.

She gave me a very sensual smile as a different song started up, one I recognized from one of our meetings back in Oregon. I hated the stupid movie that this came from, but the way it was sung and the smooth sounds of Beyonce's voice just begged for it to be danced to. I had requested that song that night, wanting to see the mysterious and beautiful Bambi dancing for me along to the slow beat of the song.

For the first time in a long time, I got to see Bella dance. She gripped the pole with one hand and slowly pulled her legs up onto it, showing the strength she had never lost. I watched her lithe body twirl around the pole, lifting and lowering herself with just her arms like it was no big deal. I felt my breathing get more shallow every time she made eye contact with me. She was flexible beyond belief, and watching her got me harder than I had been in a while.

She slowly made her way from the pole to where I was sitting, kneeling between my open knees, hands on my thighs and a knowing smirk on her face by the time the song ended. I don't know if she had more planned, but I needed to have her now, and I knew that was a big no no in a respectable club.

"Fuck, Bella," I groaned. "We need to get out of here."

She giggled. "I thought you'd say that."

I helped her quickly get dressed and I was soon pulling her out of the building and into the car. I had no patience to wait until we got home, so we pulled into a little patch of dense trees and I took her in the back seat of our car, like a pair of teenagers. I had no regrets.

* * *

 _December 2019_

Bella and I were snuggled in my bed in my parents' house on Christmas morning. We had both been able to get some time off from the hospital in order to make a trip out to Seattle to celebrate the holidays. We'd be able to stay until January second before having to head back to the real world where our jobs and school awaited. I wasn't really looking forward to the monotony the pediatric ward had been in recently, but Bella was anxious to get back to surgeries. She would have two weeks on the neuro rotation before being sent to trauma, which she was looking forward to.

A glance at the clock told me it was only seven in the morning, but I was still used to east coast time, so I was well rested and eager to be up. No one else was awake yet, and no one was set to show up for food and festivities until eleven, so I could take the time to just lay in bed with my wife for a couple hours before we had to get up and get moving.

I pressed a kiss to the base of her neck when she started moving around and stretching a little, signaling her wakefulness. I trailed my kisses down her neck and across her shoulder, and I could see the little smile on her face from the corner of my eye.

"Good morning, Edward," she said, her voice still rough with sleep. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, angel," I mumbled against her skin. She was warm and soft from being under the covers all night.

She let out a little hum. "I have a present for you before we go down and see everyone today."

I was a little surprised by her revelation. "We exchanged gifts last night, love."

"I know, but I wanted to wait until this morning to give you this one," she said, sliding herself out of bed and over toward the dresser. She pulled open one of the bottom drawers, where I still kept old pairs of sweats and basketball shorts that hadn't seen the light of day since I was in high school. Which was much farther back than I cared to think about. At twenty-eight, I felt like I was getting old, though Bella told me I was being a baby about it. But she was still in her mid-twenties. I was in my late twenties. We'd see how she felt when she was twenty-eight.

Bella came back to the bed with a little black bag with white tissue paper coming out of the top. She handed it to me before she slid back into bed next to me. I propped myself up before I started pulling out the tissue paper. Bella was looking at me with a wary look on her face, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. That was something she only ever did when she was nervous or turned on, and I hoped this was the latter. But the look on her face told me it was the former, and that made me apprehensive.

I pulled the little bundled package out of the bottom of the bag. It was wrapped pretty excessively in the tissue paper, so I just tore through it. What stared back at me was a little white onesie with the words "Daddy's Future Doctor" with a stethoscope printed around the collar. If I wasn't a doctor and knew better, I would have sworn my heart stopped beating in my chest for a few seconds. I unfolded the piece of clothing, and a little plastic bag fell out of it, dropping into my lap. Picking it up, I realized it contained three pregnancy tests, all with little plus signs in the window.

I must have been silent too long for Bella's liking, because she spoke up in the most timid little voice I had ever uttered from her mouth. "Edward? Say something."

"Holy shit," I breathed out.

That made Bella laugh. "Well, that's something, I guess."

I looked up at her finally, and was relieved to see that her teeth had released her lips, though it looked a little swollen from being chewed on, but that wary look was still in her eyes, which was just unacceptable. Realizing now that she had been so nervous and worried about telling me made me feel like the worst excuse for a husband.

Was I surprised by her revelation? Of course. Was I terrified of becoming a father? Absolutely. But there was no way that I'd ever be upset about this news. Maybe four years ago when Bella and I hadn't even been married, but not now. Neither one of us was ready for kids back then, and my mother's insistence of the matter made me want them even less at that point. But now, when Bella and I were as great as ever and I wanted nothing more than to be with her for as long as we both lived, as per our wedding vows, a baby seemed like an amazing thing. Hell, I was planning to bring up the topic of possibly starting a family once the new year passed, but we were apparently already there.

I gathered Bella in my arms and pressed a long, hard kiss to her mouth, unable to contain my smile. My obvious happiness at the news seemed to relax Bella, and she was giggling.

"When did you find out?" I asked, curious as to how I didn't already know. I was with her all day after I got home from the hospital, and I had never seen anything different with her. I was pretty sure it was hard to miss morning sickness or sore breasts. I was pretty well acquainted with Bella's body.

"A little less than a week ago." She leaned back from me a little and looked at me. "I threw up a few times after getting to the hospital. I thought it was something I ate or, God forbid, the sight of blood, but after a few days, I realized I hadn't gotten my period, so I decided to take a test. I would have told you sooner, but I wanted to do something cute, and since Christmas was coming up, I decided to put something together."

"Do you know how far along?" I asked. Bella had been on birth control for years, so I was curious as to how this happened. Obviously nothing was one hundred percent effective, but it hadn't failed us prior to this.

She shook her head. "No, it can't be more than four or five weeks, though. I had a period last month. I figured I'd schedule an appointment for after the holidays."

Bella had a gynecologist in the hospital we worked at, who she also happened to be on service for before we went on vacation, so a week after we returned to D.C, we both escaped from patients for a few minutes to get to her appointment. When the doctor entered the room, a smile on her face, it dropped slightly in confusion.

"Dr. Cullen, this is unexpected," she greeted. She looked between Bella, who was sat on the exam table, and me, as I sat in the extra chair in the room. We were both still in scrubs and coats, having to go back after we were done here.

"Dr. Hunter," I greeted the red-headed woman. We worked with each other frequently, seeing as I was usually left to treat babies that she had delivered. We were relatively close, since I saw her so often, and she was a nice enough woman. Victoria flirted a little, but I knew it was harmless.

"Not to be rude, but is there a reason why you're here?" She seemed genuinely befuddled, and Bella giggled a little, having watched our interaction.

"He's here to see the sonogram, Dr. Hunter," Bella replied, drawing attention to herself. I could see the corners of her mouth twitching with her amusement. Not telling the rest of the hospital staff that we were married made it amusing when people figured it out, sometimes. Besides the chief and some of Bella's friends in the program, though, no one else knew. I don't see how, though, considering we had the same last name.

"I'm still a little confused," Victoria admitted. "I usually don't have the peds attending sitting in on one of my appointments."

"Well, considering the baby is his, I'd sure hope he's only here for this one." Bella smirked as Victoria's mouth dropped open in astonishment. Great, now Victoria was assuming that I had knocked up some random intern. I gave Bella a look and she just grinned back at me, thoroughly enjoying this situation.

"Bella and I are married, Dr. Hunter," I explained.

She quickly glanced down at the chart that was in her hands. "Oh, jeez, good job, Vicky," she muttered to herself. "I didn't even put two and two together. I always just called Bella by her first name. Jesus."

After all that confusion was cleared up and Bella was sufficiently entertained, we actually got to the point of the visit. There was an internal exam first and then we got to listen to the heartbeat, which caused Bella to cry and I definitely got a little teary eyed, not that I'd admit that to anyone but Bella. Then when Victoria switched the wand over to get a visual, she quickly showed us the little bean shape that was our baby and then did some measurements on the screen.

"Alright, you're about eight weeks along, according to the dimensions of the fetus. So, I'd project your due date at about August sixteenth," Victoria determined. She captured a few photos while Bella spoke.

"I had a period last month, though," she commented, obviously a little befuddled at how far along she was. "Unless it was just implantation bleeding."

Victoria glanced down at her chart as she handed Bella a paper towel to wipe the gel off of her still flat stomach. I was excited to see it grow with the development of our child in the next few months.

"You were still on birth control, correct?" she asked. Bella nodded. "Yeah, it was very likely it was just due to implantation of the egg. I'm assuming your periods are very light anyway, considering the hormonal birth control, so the pregnancy spotting is easily mistaken for a period. It's actually very common."

With a projected a due date and a recommendation for lab work and prenatal vitamins, Victoria waved a goodbye and Bella and I left the room, heading back down to the floor below, where the peds ward was and the neurology wing. We were able to step on the elevator together alone. I immediately wrapped my arms around Bella and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"August sixteenth," I muttered. That was so far away, but I knew it would be showing up in no time. I was already anxious to meet our baby.

"Right smack dab in the middle of both of our birthdays," Bella chuckled. "We sure know how to plan for a baby's arrival."

I grinned at her. "I don't know about the arrival, but I sure do like practicing." I moved my kisses to her neck, and she giggled.

"Stop," she protested, pressing her hand gently against my chest to push me away slightly. "I'm sure my hormones will soon be begging me to have sex with you any and everywhere. But not in this hospital."

The doors dinged open, and thankfully, no one was standing on the other side. We exited, Bella's hand clutched in mine as we stepped out.

"We had sex at the other hospital," I reminded her. I quite looked forward to my breaktime rendezvous with Bella back then. They definitely made my shift more interesting and enjoyable. We were even in the same hospital now, so it just made it that much easier.

I could see the blush creeping up Bella's neck. "That was when I didn't work in a hospital," she protested.

We were in a hallway that split the space between the peds and neuro departments, and there was hardly anyone there, so I pulled her back to me. I could see the protest already on her lips, so I hurried to say my piece.

"This isn't about the sex thing," I assured. "I was just thinking that maybe we shouldn't tiptoe around each other at work. I feel like we're hiding, and I don't want to hide the fact that we're married. I mean, people are going to know that you're pregnant soon, and they're going to ask questions."

Bella nodded. "I was actually thinking the same thing. As fun as it was to see Dr. Hunter so flustered, it would just make our lives easier in the long run if people knew."

I smiled at her. I was always glad when we were on the same wavelength. "We don't have to announce it or anything."

"But if people inquire, we'll let them know," she amended, which was what I was going to say. I leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss.

It was in that moment that two sets of footsteps echoed down the hall, heading straight for where we were. When I looked up, I caught the eyes of one of my ped residents and the oncology attending, Dr. Call and Dr. Rhys. Both of their eyes were wide as they looked between Bella and me, my wife still wrapped in my arms. She looked over her shoulder and her blush from earlier just intensified.

No time like the present.

"Embry, Maggie," I greeted, giving them both a slight nod. I released Bella from my arms, but I kept her by my side, her hand in mine.

"Good afternoon, Edward," Maggie greeted coolly. Her piercing blue eyes were like icicles to accompany her chilly disposition. I had suspected that she may have been interested in my, based on the few interactions we had when we worked together, and I think she was seeing Bella as competition. "One of the new interns?" She jerked her head in Bella's direction, her gaze a little loathing. It was also possible she was upset with me for engaging with one of the interns. Whoops.

"Uh, yeah, this is Bella," I introduced. "Bella, this is Dr. Maggie Rhys, the oncology attending and Dr. Embry Call, one of my residents."

"Aren't you on Dr. Manning's service today, Bella?" Maggie asked, her tone a little harsh. Bella nodded. "Well, I'm sure she'd like to know you're wasting time standing around and flirting with an attending when you should be doing rounds. Neurology may not be your ultimate area of interest, but you still owe your undivided attention to the patients. Or should I let them know you were making out with another doctor in the hallways, as well."

My hackles were immediately up, and I opened my mouth to reprimand Maggie for being so rude and presumptuous, but Bella beat me to it.  
"My apologies, Dr. Rhys, but I was actually taking a permitted break in order to attend an appointment her in the hospital with my _husband_ , who also went to the appointment with me. I assure you, Dr. Manning was aware of where I was going, for how long, why, and with whom. If you weren't aware, there are three interns on neuro rotation, and my peers are more than capable for checking the black screen that reads you the vitals and writing them in the charts. Unless you're suggesting that my fellow interns are so completely incompetent that they can't even manage to read and write?"

The second 'husband' was uttered from Bella's mouth, Maggie blanched, her mouth dropped open and her eyebrows nearly into her hairline. I mean, that was one way to let people know.

Maggie just muttered something about seeing us around the hospital before walking away briskly, Embry trying to contain his snickers by her side. He shot me an approving look behind Maggie's back, looking between Bella and I and offering a cheeky grin and a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the grin that stretched across my face. I loved my wife.

"You know she's going to make your life a living hell, right?" I asked

Bella smirked. "Worth it. Though, she's not a surgeon, so I doubt I'll be seeing a whole lot of her."

"I'm sure she has her ways," I assured.

She chuckled. "Still worth it."

* * *

 _May 2020_

I couldn't help the grin on my face at seeing my wife standing at the nurse's station, facing another intern so I could see her profile. She was just past the twenty-four week mark, and her growing stomach was visible underneath her scrubs. Unlike most women who I've seen freak out over the protrusion of their stomach-cough Alice cough-, Bella had embraced the first visual signs of her pregnancy, reasoning that it meant our baby was growing and healthy. Her confidence in her changing body was one of the sexiest things I had ever seen, and the extra curves in some areas just added to it. Bella always had a nice body, but seeing her carrying my baby was one of the best things I had ever witnessed. It was a good thing that Bella was still up for sex, because it was pretty hard to keep my hands off of her.

Bella finished her conversation with the other intern and turned to face the counter of the nurse's station. I took the opportunity and walk up behind her, my hands automatically finding her hips. Bella leaned back into my chest, but made no move to look away from the charts that were laid out before her.

"Are we still being good and abiding by the 'no sex in the hospital' rule?" I asked. I wanted her always and Bella was typically willing when I was, except for at the hospital. Four months later and she was still putting her foot down. It didn't help that she was working the general rotation, and their department shared a wing with pediatrics, so I saw her almost all day.

"I'd actually probably take you to an on call room now, but I have four cases and presenting with the same symptoms, but all of the tests I've ordered have come back inconclusive. Dr. Halstead is allowing whoever figures it out decide who is on scut for the rest of the rotation. And Alec is the biggest asshole I've ever met, so I really want to figure it out."

"What are the symptoms?"

She sighed. "Four patients of various ages, no obvious relation to one another. All presenting with difficulty breathing and some sort of puss filled rash around the nose and mouth with severe swelling. There's a poor four year old girl with her left eye completely swollen shut." She shook her head. "Anyway, there's some sort of nasal congestion, but no obvious signs of inflammation, unless it's in the sinuses and not just nasal passages. Low grade fevers, but they're obviously fighting some sort of infection, or trying to. All have a weakened immune system, and some are complaining of chest pain, but all EKGs and blood panels I do come back normal. I've also taken biopsies of the rash, but nothing conclusive is coming back.

"I'm nearly ripping my hair out because they're all getting worse and their vitals are dropping. I know it's some sort of infectious disease-we all do-but no one knows what."

I looked at the charts over her shoulder, noting their symptoms and the results from the blood panels. WBC was obviously up, but not incredibly so, considering the immune system thing. Everything else seemed to be relatively normal. The only thing that really stood out was the shortness of breath.

"How are lung sounds?"

"Wet and wheezy on both sides for all patients."

"Have you done X-rays for pneumonia?"

I could nearly feel the eye roll she gave me. "Obviously, Edward."

"Sorry, had to ask." As I stared at the charts, I started piecing some possibilities together. "Collect respiratory fluids from them and have the lab run a fungal assay. The problems with the sinuses and respiratory system means they most likely inhaled something. "

"Like fungal spores," she stated. I nodded. "Alright, I'll get on this. I hope I get something. I wanna kick Alec's ass."

"Hey, I'm helping you win. Don't I get any retribution for this?" I joked.

She turned to me and that hungry glint she got when she was horny was in her eye. "If I figure this out and win, we can do that thing you've been wanting to do." She gave me a grin and gathered her charts, walking away. She left me standing there, staring after her with longing.

I hoped to God she won.

* * *

 _August 2020_

I was shaken awake at some point in the middle of the night. I cracked my eyes open and saw that it was still pitch black in the room. I thought maybe Bella had gotten up to use the restroom and the movement of the bed was what woke me up, so I closed my eyes and attempted to fall back asleep. I was almost there, but the shaking woke me again and then Bella's voice broke through my sleepy haze.

"Edward, wake up," her soft voice called. I groaned and turned over to face her. She was propped up on one elbow in bed, seemingly alert at this late hour. I was pretty sure it was about three in the morning, and we had both laid down at just after eleven.

I hummed at her to show her I was listening and attempting to wake up. I wasn't quite sure what was so important that I be awake at three in the morning for, but I wasn't going to deny my pregnant wife her request.

"Edward, we have to go," she muttered, running her free hand through my hair, which just made me want to go back to sleep.

"Where are we going?" I asked through a yawn. I was in no state to go anywhere.

"The hospital, Edward," she chuckled. "My water just broke."

Those words were probably about the only thing that could've gotten me out of bed that early in the morning. I finally groaned and sat myself up and rubbed at my eyes. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm good, contractions aren't too bad. They're about nine minutes apart right now, so we've got a little bit of time." The fact that Bella was so calm about this helped to tamp down the anxiety that was starting to swell in my chest. As a doctor, I knew that lives were brought into this world everyday and everything was going to be fine and we had time to get going. But, as an expectant father, I was starting to freak out about the fact that, most likely, within the next twenty-four hours our baby would be here. I was having a tough time wrapping my head around that part, so I put all of my focus on Bella and what she needed in that moment.

"Do you wanna take a shower or something before we go?"

She nodded and flashed me a smile. "Yeah, that sounds good. Would you like to join me?"

I grabbed her hand and presses a kiss to the back of it. "Absolutely."

After we had taken a shower and redressed, Bella grabbed her purse and my wallet while I got the bag we had already packed from its place in the closet. I went to go grab the keys and I noticed that Bella was on the phone. She had called the hospital to inform them that we would be there soon. We had already had a private room arranged for when it was time for Bella to give birth, and it would give them time to get Dr. Hunter into the hospital if she wasn't already there.

Bella grabbed the car keys and tossed them to me on our way out the door. I had the overnight bag in one hand and Bella's in the other. The car seat had already been installed so we wouldn't have to worry about it when Bella was in the hospital. We made our way down into the car and I made my way to the hospital. Bella had two contractions on the ride over, and I held her hand through them, even though she insisted that they weren't that bad.

As we were nearing the hospital, she looked over at me and gave me a soft smile.

"We're going to meet our baby today," she whispered.

I brought her hand to my lips and placed a kiss there. "I can't wait."

Carlie Anne Cullen was born at 3:22 pm on Sunday, August ninth and weighed eight pounds, three ounces. She already had a full head of my crazy hair, god help her, and her eyes were a light grey color, which I knew were going to turn into my and my mother's green. She had Bella's full lips and cute little nose though, and I knew she was going to grow up to look just like her mother, just with some of my features. She was the most precious little thing and I actually cried when I held her for the first time, but no one but Bella would ever know that. Carlie was so serene after she ate and was properly bathed. I sat with her while Bella napped, and I couldn't take my eyes off her little sleeping face, so soft and cherub-like.

Everyone had visited right after Carlie was born, when Bella was still awake and willing to take visitors. Our parents had flown in as soon as possible, and had made it just an hour before she arrived. My mother was going to be staying with us for a few weeks while we got acclimated to having to take care of a newborn. Bella had taken some time off from the hospital, so we should be able to get into the swing of things by the time my mom left. I was hoping, anyway.

I saw Bella sit up in the bed out of the corner of my eye, and she was smiling over at me when I looked at her. The love that was sparkling in her eyes was evident, and I had a feeling the same look was in mine.

"We get to take her home," she whispered, still in awe of our child, as was I.

"Tomorrow," I agreed. "And then we get her for the rest of our lives."

Bella's smile widened and she stretched her hand out to me. And took it in mine and pressed a kiss to it.

"Perfect."

* * *

 **So, epilogue part 1, done! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Like I said, I will be posting part 2 next week, so we have that to look forward to.**

 **Again, if you guys have any outtake requests, feel free to send them to me! I will happily write up something for a scene you'd like to see. I love these characters, and I'm a little sad I'll be saying goodbye soon, but I'm looking forward to other projects.**

 **If you didn't know already, I've posted a new story, Anything Could Happen. I will be posting the next update to that in just a few hours, so definitely go check that out!**

 **As always, thank you guys so much for reviewing. I read each and every one, and I love hearing from you. So thank you so much!**

 **Until next time, lovelies!**


	37. The One with the Epilogue (Part II)

**This is it guys! Officially the end. I will be marking this story as complete once I post this. Such a huge moment for me! This part is significantly shorter than the previous one, but I didn't think it needed to be drawn out. I hope you enjoy! I'll see you all at the bottom.**

* * *

 **EPILOGUE (PART II)**

 **BELLA POV**

 _September 2037_

"Which car are we taking?" Anthony called on his way out the door, his Superman backpack slung over only one shoulder. Today was his first day of third grade, and he had no qualms about carrying around a character bag still.

Anthony was our only boy, and he was essentially a photocopy of his father. Same facial structure, same bright green eyes, same unruly, bronze hair, same lanky height. At eight, he was already a head above all his other classmates, even the girls, which was rare at this age. He was very outgoing and didn't really bother to try to conform to what anyone else did. He had a troupe of friends that seemed to always be over at our house, but they were sweet kids, so I didn't mind. His personality reminded me a lot of Emmett, but I think that was from hanging out with him and his kids more than a genetic thing.

"We're taking the truck; we're all driving together today," I replied, ushering my second youngest, Lillian, out the door. She was not as excited as her little brother for her first day of sixth grade. She had expressed her dread for all things middle school since the summer started, and now she was quite sullen that the time was actually here.

Out of all our kids, Lillian was the only one to inherit the platinum blonde hair that her grandfather had. (I say had, because Carlisle has since gone grey, something he's not very happy about.) She also got the delicate features that Edward's parents possess, so she's looked like a little angel all her life. She even has Carlisle's baby blues.

"You said I could drive myself!" Carlie huffed. She had turned into quite the teenager. I was hoping that since she just turned seventeen, she'd have grown out of all her whining and complaining, but there was no such luck. I loved the girl, but she was usually at the top of the list of 'Kids with which I Have a Bone to Pick.' I don't quite remember being as bad when I was her age, but I'm sure my parents would like to disagree.

"You were an implied exception," I told her. I tried not to roll my eyes as she was looking at me, but I wasn't sure that I was too successful.

She grinned at me, her father's brilliant green eyes lighting up immediately. She brushed her same bronze-colored locks over her shoulder as she hauled on her book bag. She gave me a kiss on the cheek as she walked through the door.

"Have a good day," I told her. "And say goodbye to your dad!"

"He's in the garage waiting by my car," she threw back over her shoulder. "I think he's making sure I don't escape without saying bye."

"You might wanna pull your shirt up before you get there, then. He's gonna have a fit if he sees what you're wearing."

She wasn't facing me, but I knew there was an eye roll projected towards her father. They had been having that argument since she was about thirteen. Much to Edward's chagrin, Carlie had acquired all of my assets, and she had developed rather early compared to other girls her age. Shirts that were once okay, suddenly showed too much cleavage, and shorts hugged too closely to her skin. It didn't help that she was tall like her dad, so shorts were never long enough for his tastes. It was a constant battle in our house, but I could usually talk Edward down from the edge.

My second oldest, Charlotte, saddled up beside me and watched as her sister walked away, disappearing into the garage with her father. She was starting her freshman year of high school, but she had declined being driven to school by her sister, claiming that she didn't want to get in the way or bother her. I knew the real reason was because she had a crush on Carlie's best friend, Peter, and he was being picked up by Carlie on the way to school. Peter had been driving Carlie around for the last year, but Edward and I had gotten our daughter a car for her birthday, so she wanted to show it off a little. Charlotte hid out in her room whenever Peter came around, but she couldn't avoid him when he stayed for dinner. Then she was all blushing and stuttering, a trait that I was sorry to pass onto my child.

Charlotte was too much like me for her own good. Her long mahogany hair and big brown eyes were an exact copy of mine, and she could probably blush on cue if she really tried. She was a little shy, but so was I when I was her age. I didn't really come into my own until college, but I hoped she'd come out of her shell a little earlier than that. She was beautiful and sweet and so kind. She was quite intimidated by social situations, though, and her crush on Peter was always hidden away. She'd blush and shut down whenever he spoke to her. I think she was under the impression that Carlie and Peter were actually together, and so she stayed far away from him.

"Please don't suddenly become a whiner now that you're in high school," I begged her.

She laughed and wrapped an arm around my waist. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

"That's all I ask." I placed a kiss of her head before pushing the both of us out of the doorway. I locked the door behind us and made my way to the car, where both Anthony and Lillian were already buckled into the captain seats of the truck. The middle and elementary schools were on the same campus, so they would get dropped off first, leaving Charlotte in the back, since the high school was closer to the hospital. Charlotte hopped in and squeezed between the two seats in the middle to settle herself into the back row. I tossed my bag onto the passenger seat and waited for my husband and oldest daughter to get a move on.

I could see Edward and Carlie in the garage, standing by the front door of her new baby. We had gotten her a two door Mustang. Carlie appreciated classic cars and loved the thing to death. Edward had made a final decision based on the space of the backseat. He didn't want to give Carlie anywhere to possibly have sex, so the Mustang it was. I had it on good authority that our oldest was still a virgin, but Edward was wary. It was his Daddy duty to prevent sex at all costs, much to Carlie's discomfort. The sex talk during her sophomore year was basically a drilling by Edward for her not to have sex until she was married, which kind of pissed her off. I had to go in and amend it with actual useful information, much to my husband's dismay. I was just being realistic, though.

I waited until they had hugged and Edward closed the door behind her to get myself in the car. Edward slid in a moment later and started the car, but waited until Carlie had backed down the driveway to pull our car out.

"When did she get so grown up?" he huffed as he made his way down the street and out of our neighborhood.

I just chuckled and grasped his free hand over the center consul. His thumb rubbed back and forth over my knuckles, like he always did. I couldn't help but smile over at him. He caught me looking out of the corner of his eye and flashed me a little grin.

Forty-six years old and the man still looked as good as he did the day we met. He had a few new wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and there was a smattering of grey hair right at his temples, but those were about the only things that gave away his age. He had been blessed with amazing genes, and he was still as handsome as ever. And his age had somehow not diminished his libido, which was all I really cared about in that moment. He looked too good in his button up, grey tie, and black slacks. This was his normal attire to work now, with the lab coat thrown over it once we actually got there.

I had dropped the 'no sex at the hospital' rule when I was pregnant with Charlotte, and it was one of the best decisions I'd ever made. By that time, the majority of my time was spent at the hospital, since I was in the middle of my residency, and I had to relieve stress somehow. Edward was more than happy to hop on board that decision, and we had never gone back. I had a feeling we'd be making a trip to an on-call room later in the day.

* * *

Edward and I had decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest when I was done with my residency. We loved D.C., but we wanted to raise our kids where we had grown up, and we were both missing having family and friends around all the time. All our friends had had kids and we wanted them to be able to grow up together. So, when it was time to apply to places to become a fellow, hospitals in Seattle and Portland were definitely on my list. I was offered positions as a trauma fellow in both cities, but I ended up deciding on Seattle, since everyone had moved there, and Edward got a job offer there, as well. So, when Carlie was five and Charlotte was two, we packed up and moved back across the country and were able to find a home only a few blocks from Carlisle and Esme.

So, on this unusually warm Saturday afternoon, there was not a cloud in the sky and it was actually in the mid-eighties. We had all of our friends and family over for a barbecue, which was pretty common practice for us now that we were all together. My parents had retired a few years ago and moved to Bellevue, so they were only a short drive away from the community that the rest of us lived in.

Rosalie was now a well-known and extremely successful defense attorney on criminal cases. Emmett was the lead engineer for Boeing, who had a branch in the Seattle area. They had three kids: Henry, Jaclyn, and Thomas.

Henry was a year older than Carlie, and he was attending Northwestern in just a few weeks, so this was the last time that we'd all really be together before he left. Carlie and him had always been really close since we moved back, and both Rose and I were convinced that they'd get married one day. They were always adorable together, and I knew Carlie had a weakness for his dark curls and deep dimples. Emmett always said his oldest would be a lady-killer, but Henry had never had a girlfriend and focused more on his schoolwork, which had obviously paid off.

Jaclyn was the same age as Charlotte, and they actually were very close. Jaclyn was over most weekends, even if her parents weren't. The two hadn't really got along when they were really little, but by the fourth grade, they were attached at the hip. Jaclyn's appearance was basically the polar opposite of Charlotte's, with her long, golden hair and bright blue eyes, just like her mother. Emmett wasn't to happy about her starting high school, but now he knew how Edward felt.

Thomas was much younger than his siblings. He was actually two years younger than Anthony, but the boys got along well. Anthony was always sure to include him with whatever he was doing and play with him nicely when Thomas asked. I knew that Anthony would make a great big brother, but Edward and I had agreed that four was enough once we finally had a boy.

Alice had become quite a successful clothing designer for Ralph Lauren, and she was able to work from home and stay home with her kids, while Jasper worked during the day. Jasper was a business administrator for a large company that owned many smaller companies of varying types, and was pretty successful. They both made quite a bit of money, which was good because they had kept popping out babies after the rest of us had called it quits.

Kian, their oldest, was just starting his final year of college, so he was already away at UCLA for the semester. He had skipped a year in high school, because he was a little brainiac. He was currently studying biology, and he planned on going to medical school in order to become a neurologist.

Johanna was two years younger than her brother, and she had just started her first year at Washington State, so she still lived at home, which her mother appreciated. She got along well with Carlie and Henry. She also had a long time girlfriend, Kayley, who everyone loved, and they were going to college together. They had been friends since elementary school, but once their sophomore year of high school came around, they began dating, and Alice was ecstatic, because Kayley was the best person she could think to be with her daughter.

They had waited a few more years between Johanna and her younger sister, Maggie, who was now in the eighth grade. She was over at our house a lot too, to hang out with Charlotte. They didn't seem to mind the small age difference, even though Charlotte was now in high school. They'd grown up together, and they didn't seem to notice the year apart.

By some weird happenstance, Alice got pregnant with twins two years after Lillian was born. Twins didn't run in either of their family's so everyone was a little confused, but Alice just took it in stride. Some idiot at my hospital that examined Alice during her pregnancy assumed she must have cheated on Jasper. When those two little boys came out, though, there was no doubt that they were their father's sons. Jeremy and Jason were the spitting image of their father, and even at ten years old, they had the same shaggy hair cut, all a crazy dirty-blond mess.

Alice and Jasper had meant to be done once the twins were born, but fate had other plans. Just four years ago, Alice had gotten pregnant again and popped out the sweetest little girl I had ever met. Faith was only three now, but she had her mother's heart and her father's calm temperament. My kids had all been hellions when they were toddlers, and so had everyone else's kids, but Faith was like this little perfect angel who never cried, never threw tantrums, and had a smile that could acquit her of murder.

Angela and Ben were with us that afternoon, too. After my godson, Benji, was born, they decided to try for another baby after a few years. In my second year of med school, Angela gave birth to Kara. Benji was now twenty-one, and Kara was eighteen. They were both attending PSU, so they were headed out to Portland after this weekend. Both kids called me Aunt Bella, which I didn't think I'd ever hear in my life. Well, Benji called me Aunt Belly for the first four years that he could speak, but he grew out of that once he had hit first grade.

"How are you doing, Bells?" my dad asked, sitting on the bench next to me. We were in the backyard, Jasper, Em, and Edward at the grill and everyone else kind of milling around. The younger kids were playing on the jungle gym that was in our yard, and the older ones were gathered under the shade of some of our big oak trees.

"I'm pretty good, Dad. Enjoying us all being together," I smiled.

I really did love to look around and see how far we'd come. It felt like just yesterday that I had met Edward in the club. He was such a mystery back then; just the man that came in almost every weekend, tipping me much more than any person ever had before. His eyes had drawn me in and his kind personality had kept me around. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for that one day that he decided to come into the club. Everyone else would be doing pretty much the same, but who knows how my life would have been different.

It may have started out strangely, but we made all the right moves, and Edward and I had ended up here-content with our four wonderful kids, our amazing jobs, and each other. We had our fights just like any couple, but we always went to bed knowing that we were each other's rocks, and we'd always be okay. Twenty years of marriage, and I still loved him more and more each day.

"All you kids have done pretty well for yourselves," he said, his mustache twitching with his smile. My dad was in his sixties, but that mustache never changed. And it was still miraculously dark, even though the hair on his head was almost completely grey. Hopefully, his graceful aging was genetic, because I would not be upset if I looked as good as he did in twenty years time.

"We're all happy," I commented. "I think that's all anyone really wants. We've all got great jobs, great homes, great kids, great friends, great parents. It's all worked out."

Charlie wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his side. He placed a kiss on the side of my head. Signs of affection were still a rarity from him, and any little thing he did always warmed my heart.

"I'm happy for you, kid."

At that moment, Edward looked over at us from his spot at the grill with the other guys. He caught my eyes and smiled at me, throwing in a little wink that made those damn flutters start up in my stomach. I grinned back at him. I still felt like that same twenty year old girl that I was when we first met whenever I looked at him. The amazement of winding up with such a wonderful guy never really faded. I didn't think it ever would.

"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

 **AHHH! It's over! I loved these guys so much and it's all over. It was fun writing this, and I will be doing the requested outtakes, but we are officially done. This was great, and I liked it, but I know I can do better, and hopefully that will be evident as I get further along in Anything Could Happen.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed this story and me along the way. I appreciated each and every one of you. I love you all so much. I hope you liked this journey just as much as I did. I hope you'll keep liking my material. I'm already in the process of posting a new story, so go check that out over on my profile, if you are so inclined :) And there are so many ideas floating around in my head, you will see a lot of me in the** **future.**

 **Until next, time, lovelies!**


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